


Running With Wolves

by TheWhiteWolf (imnotdoneyetap)



Series: Hunt or Be Hunted [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M, Flashbacks, Hunted, Hunters, Memories, Other, Season 3, Sequel, Slow Build, Teen Wolf, alpha pack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2018-07-22 16:26:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 175,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7445944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imnotdoneyetap/pseuds/TheWhiteWolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Diana Cruz, that was her name now, there was no use in trying to hide behind another false name. Her true identity was out there, what she did to the Hale family, what she did with her own. Diana must face now the consequences for keeping secrets. Her Mate turning against her and the Alpha pack posing a threat did not make it any easier for her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Open Wounds

        It's been a long four months.  
        For the first two, I had a nice routine with Scott and Stiles. They would come over and help me clean up the mess in my home. Of course the labor wasn't free and I paid them a reasonable wage. After that, Scott would run out of there to work at the animal's clinic since he was very close to buying his own motorcycle.  
        Stiles, on the other hand, went back home where I would later check in on him and the Sheriff, usually bringing them dinner or some baked pastries. It's been awhile since they've had a home cooked meal and it became normal for me to cook them dinner on Saturday nights.  
        That nice lifestyle ended when I hadn't received any updates from Isaac. He kept his word to keep an eye on Derek. He updated me on the still-missing Erica and Boyd and how Derek, Peter, and him were searching for them. Isaac told me how their search was going and refused my offer to help. He said Derek hadn't spoken a word about me but whenever he or Peter mentioned my name, he would lash out. He thought it would be a bad idea for me to be anywhere near him.   
        Isaac was loyal to an extent due to him hiding a very important detail concerning the disappearance of Erica and Boyd. He was Derek's first legitimate beta and his loyalty will always be to Derek which is why I didn't blame him for not telling me of the appearance of the Alpha pack. The way I found out about that detail came from a very surprising source,  _Peter_.  
        Yes, Peter the killer-Alpha/now psycho-beta gave me this lovely piece of information. Derek had made it clear during the kanima ordeal that he had accepted Peter into his pack, but just like Isaac, Peter was technically my first and only beta, his loyalties would always be to me. I didn't take his visit very well but after the relay of information about the Alpha pack and the fact that Isaac has gone missing as well, explaining his sudden lack of communication. This caused me to not  _hate_ him as much as I once did.   
        Either way, I didn't trust him. The sources I could trust, Scott and Stiles, were unaware of the situation, and that left me to ask Marian and Deaton to help me out. Marian was nowhere to be found but Deaton was always in the Clinic. When I approached him on the matter, he told me I should leave the matter be and lay low. As usual, I ignored his advice and searched for help elsewhere. I dropped everything I had in Beacon Hills and started my own search. Through my old contacts I managed to find the right person to help me on this.   
        I spent two months, searching for Boyd and Erica. I left Beacon Hills and researched intel on the Alpha pack, using my past knowledge as a hunter to identify their migrating patterns and follow through them. All I managed to find in every stop were rumors and stories with absurd details that they had to be false. Either way, once I thought I gathered enough information, I met up with a very loyal and overqualified mercenary and handed over the job. It was all up to her to use everything I had and find Isaac and the rest of pack.    
        As much as I wanted to be the one to be on the field, Peter and Deaton warned me that I shouldn't. They were an Alpha pack and I was an Alpha. Their motives were very clear and I feared for what was to come. I let a former student of mine continue with the real task. Braeden promised me that she would have them safe by tonight. All I had to do was be ready for pick-up.   
        It turns out she was only able to get Isaac out and from the frantic phone call I received she wasn't doing so well. So here I was, back in Beacon Hills, waiting outside the warehouse district with a motorcycle to replace my car. Braeden told me to be ready for anything and I had my foot ready to revv up the bike when needed to.   
        It didn't take long to see them. I could hear her motorcycle miles away and the dull light she emitted. I rev up my motorcycle and get it ready to ride after her. Once I see her close enough, I let the bike go and turned sharply to not crash against her. I saw a semi-conscious Isaac holding onto her and was confused as to why they hadn't stopped at the alley.  
        "What the hell is going on?!" I shout as I ride after her.   
        "We're both injured," she exclaims. "And we're being chased."   
        I look back to see two large figures running behind us. We were riding on the highest speed and they were still catching up. They were the Alphas I had been warned me to stay away from. I turn my focus back on the road and make a quick hard decision.   
        "We have to split up," I state. "They will only follow one of us."   
        Braeden didn't question my decision and just went along with it.   
        "Truck driving up ahead." she states motioning to the intersection. "We'll drive through it and you turn and follow after it."   
        "Sounds like a plan," I shout. "I better see you two alive after this." I say as I see the big truck driving closer and closer to the intersection. "Good luck."   
        I pull my motorcycle back enough while Braeden just sped up. She manages to miss the speeding truck by a few seconds and makes it across. I was still going pretty fast but managed to make a sharp turn and not crash into the side of the truck and just ride behind it. I look back searching for any of the Alphas only to find them gone.  
        I turn back to the front of the road to see a dark figure with red eyes in front of me. I was going to fast to make a quick u-turn and found myself trying anyway. The bike skids on the road and I find myself rolling on the rough pavement. I push through the pain and look up to find the figure walking closer. I let my eyes glow, and as my wolf begged to let her heal me, I made the decision first to shift. My clothes rip away from me, my bones shifted in place quickly, and I took of sprinting through the woods.   
        I'm fast. That was the only thing keeping me alive from whoever wanted to capture me tonight. I'm fast but I was slow tonight. My injuries from the crash weren't letting up and I knew that there was only one person I trusted to help me in any form.  
        I crash into his Clinic, letting the alarms go off. I stumble onto the back and cover myself with a paper sheet. I search through his cabinets and curse him when I find the medicine cabinet locked up as always. I found no other choice but to lay out on the table and wait for him to get here. I took a look at my injuries and groan as I l saw the deep road burns on my legs, stomach, and arms. They were burning and bleeding quite a bit. My wolf whined, unsure of how she could help.   
        Luckily, I didn't have to endure any more pain as Deaton finally made an appearance. He shut off the alarm system before taking notice of me. The panic in his eyes made the pain I felt worse. I knew it was bad. I knew it was really bad when I was taking longer to heal. Deaton made sure to help me now and ask questions later. Deaton gave me some heavy sedatives to reduce the pain and after that, everything turned dark.

*************

Third POV, _Beacon Hills Hospital_  
  
        The emergency department sprung to life as they wheeled two people in. Word spread as to where they found them and how. The woman had high-tech military weapons on her and had crashed through some old property. The boy he had with her was suspected to be one of the runaways but it turns out as Melissa got caught sight of him, that he wasn't. Everything she heard in the past minutes made sense as she saw Isaac get wheeled in and she quickly made her way towards him.          
        "Hey wait a minute." Melissa tells the EMT. "I know this one."  
        The EMT gives Isaac up to her and she starts to wheel him down to a room. She scanned him for all of his grave injuries that were bound to heal any moment now.  
        "What happened, Isaac?" she asks him concerned.  
        "Listen to me... the girl... alright, she’s worse." Isaac whispers to her privately.  
        "What?" Melissa asks him. "Are you not healing?"   
        "I will." Isaac groans out. "Will you just... you need to find Diana. She was there. I don't know where she..."   
        "We haven't seen Diana in two months," Melissa tells him causing Isaac to become worried. "But I'll try."   
        Isaac throws his head back onto the pillow and groans in pain.  
         "Help the other girl please." Isaac tells her. "I'll be fine."   
        Melissa didn't really trust him seeing the pain so clearly on his face but she did what he told him and passed Isaac to one of the other nurses as she waited for the other gurney.   
        "Hey. Hey, hey, hey," Melissa calls out grabbing the mysterious girl down. Melissa called out to her trying to keep her awake but seemed to be losing her.   
        "Find him." Braeden tells her. "I have to find him."   
        "What are you saying?" Melissa asks her.   
        "I have to... I have to tell him..."   
        "Who?" Melissa asks her.   
        "The Alpha." Braeden responds. "Find the alpha."   
        "What do you want with Derek Hale?" Melissa asks her.  
        "No." Braeden exclaims with a light shake of her head.   
        "Are you asking for Diana?"   
        "No..." Braeden says even more upset.   
        "What?" Melissa asked in confusion but they had run out of time and an orderly took over Braeden's gurney, wheeling her down to the ICU.   
        "Not Hale. Not Diana." Braeden responds not knowing that Melissa was left behind in her own confusion. "McCall. Scott McCall." 

*************

        I wake up seeing lights shift all over me. I groan and felt the tension all over my body. I shut my eyes tightly before opening them again and seeing everything above me settle into the right places. I slowly look around and find Deaton just walking in. He looked very tired and I assumed I was part of the blame. I smile weakly at him and winced as I tried to sit up.   
        "Take it easy, Diana." he tells me. "You suffered some pretty alarming injuries last night. You passed out not giving them a chance to heal."   
        I look down to see the bandages wrapped around all over my body. I sigh as I start to pull them away seeing the very nasty burns still there.   
        "You were in a lot of pain last night," Deaton states. "I had to put you down for a bit and that caused the healing process to slow down."  
        I let out another heavy sigh as I laid out here unable to move.  
        "You went after them, didn't you?" Deaton asks me.   
        "I stayed away like you told me to," I answer. "I sent someone else to handle the job but it didn't turn out as well as I thought."   
        "Diana..." Deaton starts to say concerned but I interrupt him before he could go on.  
        "Don't worry," I tell him. "I hired an old mercenary friend of mine. She can be trusted."   
        "How so?" Deaton asks. "Your grandmother, father, and brother have bounties over your head. She could have easily turned you in."   
        "She wouldn't," I answer. "She owes me her life."   
        I turn my head to him and found myself telling him a small episode of my life as a runaway.   
        "It was a year in after I became an Alpha she-wolf, Braeden found me in the outskirts of Virginia and she was ready to bring me back home." I tell him. "It was during the time I was still struggling to keep control but I had a semi-good handle by then. Anyways, Braeden was still new at this life. She was still young and her experience was fresh. I took my time with her, allowed her to transport me through state lines without getting noticed, and when I found an opportunity, I escaped."   
        I smiled at that memory.   
        "The girl was smart, placed a tracker on me but I quickly destroyed it. " I tell Deaton. "Yet as always, whenever I thought I was free at last, she found me... but so did some other mercenaries as well."   
        Deaton's concern grew but I ignored it.  
        "I fought most of them off." I explain. "They're weapons of electricity tingled from what I've experienced before so it was easy to take them down. I had gotten through most of them until I noticed the girl struggling to fight with this big burly man. He was choking the life out of her. She had no chance against him alone, so she wasn't alone anymore, I fought with her."   
        "She owes you her life," Deaton states. "That's why..."   
        "That isn't the end of the story, Deaton." I interrupt him. "After we beat out the last man, we came to have a silent mutual alliance. She wouldn't turn me in, I wouldn't kill her. Like I said before, the girl was smart, but she was still a girl. I helped her become a woman of mass destruction. I trained her, took her under my wing and taught her all of my tricks. I made her a stronger person, the best mercenary out there."   
        I winced as I sat up but pushed through the pain.   
        "Braeden ended up helping me the same way I helped her." I tell Deaton. "She showed me new contacts. People who could hide me, who could help me, who could create fake identities and erase me from anyone's radar. Then Braeden aided me in the best way possible. She would travel around the states saying she was Diana Cruz and people would come running. She took the pressure away from me and I was able to hide in peace while she ran for me."  
        "That didn't last long though," Deaton states.   
        "No, it didn't." I answer. "It worked for only 2 months before my father and brother realized what she was doing. I was on the run again and that was that."   
        "So she owes you her life, her lifestyle, practically everything she has now to you." Deaton derives from this.   
        "She does, but I owe her too, even though she doesn't know this."   
        "What do you mean?"   
        "Focusing on her training, teaching her how to fight and control her heartbeat and hunt werewolves and other creatures... it helped me find some control. She somehow taught me control on my wolf and myself. I was so angry during that time but her determination, her will to live made me rethink my life."   
        "She saved you from yourself."   
        "Yeah..." I whisper. "I usually don't like leaning on her, she's already given me so much, but with the Alpha pack in town... I had to bring her in."   
        I groan as I force myself to stand up. The paper gown on me was flowing around me as I tried to take a step but I found myself stumbling and leaning onto the metal table for support. Deaton quickly comes to my side trying to force me to sit down but I wouldn't let him.  
        "I have to get out of here," I tell him. "I need to find Braeden and Isaac before..."   
        "You have to rest." Deaton warns me. "You won't finish healing if you keep moving."  
        I sighed as I found myself sitting back down on the table.   
        "I need my phone," I state. "I need..."   
        Deaton interrupts me by dropping a stack of ripped clothes onto my lap. He then places my cracked iPhone on my lap. I let out a whine as I see the destroyed phone.   
        "Now how am I supposed to check in on Braeden and Isaac?" I ask myself.   
        "Oh, don't thank me at all." Deaton states. "It's not like I trekked up to some remote road to pick up the mess of your motorcycle and other personal items for nothing."   
        "Thank you, Deaton." I say sarcastically with a roll of my eyes. "Why don't you tone down the sass?"   
        "I will when you allow yourself to heal," Deaton states eyeing my wounds.   
        "I'm healing slow, so what?" I ask him.   
        "I've seen this before," Deaton tells me. "You're not allowing yourself to heal."   
        "What?" I exclaim. "That's absurd. Why wouldn't I want to heal?"   
        "Punishment." Deaton says crossing his arms at me. "Let's talk about it."  
        "Talk about what?" I exclaim annoyed. "Why would I punish myself..."   
        "Derek." Deaton states, cutting me off. "How about we talk about Derek?" 

*************

Third POV, _Beacon Hills Hospital_  
  
        Once she heard that Isaac was stable and had his own room, Melissa snuck in to check in on him. She didn't miss the deputy standing outside his door as she made her way inside. After closing the door and locking it, Melissa quickly made her way to Isaac's side and started to check on all of his wounds that, as she suspected, were healing at an alarming rate.   
        "Yeah, it’s healing." Melissa comments. "Visibly... wow. They can’t see this. Nobody can see this."   
        "Alright, cover it." Isaac tells her as Melissa quickly placed the gauze over it again. "Cover it up."   
        "I don’t think that’s going to matter." she tells him. "I mean, you’re scheduled for surgery. Which is obviously going to be very confusing for a lot of people."   
        "Ok, can you do... do something?" Isaac stumbles out nervously. He didn't know what to do in this situation. No one had prepared him for this and he had no idea of where to even start in his escape or explanation.   
        "Me do something?" Melissa asks. "I’m relatively new to all of this and there’s a sheriff’s deputy that’s stationed right outside the door."   
        "Have you tried calling Diana? Derek?"   
        "Like five times each." Melissa states. "None of them are answering and I don't know if they're checking their voicemails. Do you have any other emergency werewolf contacts?"   
        Isaac nods immediately.   
        "Yeah." he answers. "Call Scott."   
        Melissa sighs at this but finding no other choice she makes her way out the room to make the call. Once she steps out of Isaac's room, Sheriff Stilinski stops her.   
        "Hey, Melissa." he says stopping Melissa from making her call.   
        "Hey," she begins to greet before the Sheriff interrupts her with his own problems.   
        "Can you help me out here?" he asks her.   
        "Yeah."   
        "Since the amnesiac in 215 can’t tell us anything, I need the girl with the modified military stun gun in 216 to answer a few questions." Sheriff tells her.   
        "That’s kind of unlikely since she’s heavily sedated." Melissa tells him.   
        Unbeknownst to them, Braeden could hear them through the open door to her room. Just a few seconds ago, she was able to pull out her IV and escape the medicine high they had her in.   
        "Right. Well when she, uh, she un-sedates. Will you give me a call?" Sheriff asks Melissa. "Because she’s got about ten-grand worth of property damage to answer for and I don’t want her just walkin’ outta here."  
        Melissa nods at that and they both go on their separate ways. Once she was alone, Melissa starts to call Scott, who was at his first day of school. While Melissa tried to reach him, a woman made her way into Isaac's room with the disguise of a nurse.   
        "Hello Isaac." she greets him.   
        "Hi."   
        "How are we feeling?" she asks him, pulling out the syringe out of her pocket.   
        "Good." Isaac responds nervously, trying to come up with a lie to explain his healing wounds to her. "Listen, I think I could probably just..." noticing the syringe, Isaac stops and looks up at her concerned. "What is that?"   
        "Just an anesthetic." she responds placing the needle into the IV line. "We don’t want you getting in the way again."  
        Isaac realizes too late who she was and starts to struggle but the drug took a quick effect on him. He noticed her red eyes and the long claws from her bare feet. He tries to call out for help but everything was fading away.  
        "Count along with me, Isaac." Kali whispers to him holding out her clawed fingers. "One... Two... Three." 

        *************

        I ignored Deaton's question and attempted to stand up again but Deaton blocked me before I could even try. This kind of cornering was what I tried to avoid all summer and I think he knew that too. I sighed as I gave up and just remained silent as Deaton watched me closely.   
        "It's been four months, Diana." Deaton states. "You've got to talk about it."   
        "Talk about what exactly?" I ask him. "How I fell in love with the one guy who's family I watched die? Or how I'm mates with him for the rest of my life not allowing him to find someone else? How about we talk about what happened that night at my house where he destroyed everything I owned? Or how I was ready to die to pay for my sins? Or..."   
        "How about we talk about how you still love him?" Deaton asks him. "And how about you just say his name instead of referring to him as  _he_ or  _the guy._  How about you say his name?"   
        "Derek Hale." I state quickly, ripping off that bandage. My anger disappeared with his name and I was once again consumed by guilt and pain. "Derek..."   
        "You thought that dying was the best punishment for the things you've done." Deaton lectures me. "When Derek didn't kill you, you sought distractions with Scott and Stiles, throwing yourself into normal activities, trying to be less alone. When that didn't work, you threw yourself into your work. You searched and hunted down details about the Alpha pack and now here you are with open wounds because you found a small piece of punishment for what you did to Derek and his family."  
        Deaton steps closer to me, grabbing my hands in his, gripping them tightly.   
        "You are not to blame for your family's actions." Deaton tells me. "You were only just a girl who had to suffer more loss than anyone should have to. You lost your mother, your best friend and role model. You lost your friend Cora and the family who took you in while your father and brother kept you in the dark. You watched innocent people die, unable to help them, when your father and brother kept you put. You are not to blame, Diana. You were just a helpless girl."   
        "If only Derek could see that," I whisper to him, seeing my wounds quickly close up and heal, returning to my normal tan complection. I wipe the tears that were rolling down my cheeks and sighed as I stroke my healed skin.   
        "Then make him see it," Deaton advises me. "Make him understand what you went through. Make him see how much you've changed since then. You have to show him your scars, show him what you've been bearing for years."   
        "He's angry." I state.   
        "Then be kind." Deaton tells me in return. "Be patient."   
        He places a stack of [new clothes on my lap](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=202991411) with a new phone on top. I smile at him before he left the room so I could have some privacy. I changed into the outfit and find the phone already activated to my old number. I had about 5 missed calls with 5 voicemails from Melissa. I quickly hear through all of them before running out of the clinic. 

************* 

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills Hospital_  
  
After drugging Isaac and allowing him to be taken into surgery, Kali made her way across the hallway towards the room that held the mercenary. She had to be disposed off due to the information she managed to get her hands on. Kali opens the door to the hospital room only to growl in rage. The hospital bed was empty and the deputy who was supposed to stand guard was passed out and handcuffed to the bed. Without giving off any warning, Kali made her way out of the room in search of the mercenary.  
        On the other side of the ICU, Scott had just arrived, leaving the first day of school early, and his mother started to debrief him in what had happened last night and the current situation that Isaac was in with his fast healing injuries.   
        "Why didn’t you tell me before?" Scott asks her once she was done.   
        "Honestly, I was hoping I didn’t have to." Melissa tells him.   
        "What do you mean?"   
        "Everything that you’ve been doing. The extra reading, the summer school... Saving up for the bike even though it scares me half to death, I... Honey, I just didn’t want to disrupt a good rhythm. Especially after..."   
        "Diana's disappearance, I know." Scott replies sadly. "You haven't heard from her?"   
        "I've called her," Melissa tells him. "She hasn't answered."   
        "Diana wouldn't abandon Isaac like this." Scott tells her. "He's all she has family-wise."   
        "He keeps asking about her but I have nothing." Melissa tells him. "Scott, just... please, don't..."  
        "It’s not gonna stop." Scott promises her, knowing what she was trying to say. "I’m gonna be better this year. A better student, a better son, a better friend, a better everything. I promise."   
        "Okay." Melissa sighs out. "He’s in room 215 if he isn’t already in surgery."   
        "Thank you." Scott says pressing a quick kiss on her cheek before running up to the elevator. He pushes the button for level two and was impatiently waiting as the elevator doors closed very slowly. Before they could close, a small cane prevents them and causes it to open fully again. A blind man walks in with the tapping of his cane and stands beside Scott.   
        "Could you hit the button for the second floor please?" he asks him.   
        Scott looked at the button, already lit up because of him, but for the blind man's sake he pressed the button again. Once the elevator rose to their floor, Scott was ready to head towards Isaac's room before the blind man placed his hand on his shoulder.   
        "You wouldn’t mind helping me out for a second would you?" he asks Scott. Finding no other choice but to help him, Scott nodded before realizing his mistake and verbally responding.   
        "Uhhm... sure." Scott says dropping his head in resignation. They walked down the hall before the blind man gave him his thanks and parted ways with him. Scott curiously saw him walk on his own before heading to Isaac's room only to find it empty. He quickly starts to go down the halls searching for the surgery room he was being held in but found everything empty.  
        Scott returns back to the main hall and stops when he catches sight of a male nurse wheeling down an unconscious figure into the elevator. Once they stop inside the elevator, Scott recognizes Isaac being the one on the wheelchair while the man who was taking him, tilted his head at him. He smirked at Scott as he pressed the button on the elevator causing the doors to start to close.  
        Scott growled at him, extending his fangs and claws, and starts to run towards them. The doors were closing fast but Scott threw himself and managed to get in. He crashes onto the elevator doors and wolfs out. Scott jumps to his feet and the Alpha reveals himself. The Alpha doesn't waste time to grab Scott and throw him against the wall. The Alpha quickly picks him up again and throws him against the other wall. Scott didn't give up though, and growled at him, but the Alpha easily picked him up again and threw him at the glass ceiling, shattering the lights. The Alpha then picks up, choking him by his neck.   
        "Don’t you realize what you’re dealing with?" he growls at him. "I’m an Alpha."   
        The elevator rings and the doors open. The Alpha is then clawed in the back and thrown into the hallway.   
        "So am I." Derek tells him. Disposing of the Alpha, Derek finally turns to Scott who was heavily breathing on the elevator floor. "Aren’t you supposed to be in school?"   
        Scott doesn't respond and just sighs in relief. 

*************

        I quickly make my way towards the hospital. The emergency area was filled with police and I had to push my way through them as I searched for Melissa. It didn't take long to find her as she had just finished her witness report. When she took notice of me, Melissa quickly came up to me and led me down an empty hall.   
        "Where the  _hell_ have you been?" Melissa grits out at me. "You've been missing for two months. The Sheriff almost put out an APB if it weren't for Deaton making up some lie. Scott and Stiles have been losing their minds thinking you were captured by that psycho family of yours. Isaac almost got caught by his werewolf abilities. Scott and Derek had some werewolf problem on the hall above us. That girl escaped police custody..."   
        "Wait, wait, wait..." I interrupt her. "Everyone escaped?"  
        "Yeah," Melissa responds. "Managed to slip out of the hospital's security."   
        "Where are they now, Melissa?" I ask her.   
        "Derek and Scott took Isaac out of here. I overheard his house." Melissa tells me.  
        "And the girl?" I ask him. "Where is she?"   
        "I couldn't tell you." Melissa responds. "With her injuries, she couldn't have gone too far."   
        I sigh and start to walk out of the hospital. Melissa starts to follow after me with questions of her own.   
        "Where have you been Diana?" she asks me. "What's going on?"  
        "It's a long story," I answer.   
        "What about the girl?" Melissa asks me. "She's being charged with property damage and illegal weapons possession. If you know her..."   
        "If I know her as well as I do, she must have gotten the hell out of town." I answer. "If not, there's something else she's here for that's more important than her life. We'll just have to wait to see which one it is."   
        I left Melissa with that short response and started to make my way to Hale house. I was worried for Braeden but I knew she could take care of herself. As for Isaac, I had to see him for myself. He had endured a lot of injuries due to his encounter with the Alpha pack. I needed to make sure he had healed all the way. 

*************

Third POV, _Hale House_  
  
        Isaac was placed on a table in the living room, still unconscious from the drug and his other injuries. Scott looked around the house while Derek opened a floorboard and started to pull out purple flowered herbs. Scott looked down at Derek who had been his usual quiet self. This was the first time he's seen him since the kanima attack.   
        "You don’t still live here do you?" he asks him.   
        "No." Derek answers. "The county took it over, but there’s something here that I need. It’ll help heal a wound from an Alpha."   
        "Yeah but it did heal." Scott says looking down at Isaac.   
        "Not on the inside." Derek answers as he picked up more herbs.   
        "Where was that when you suffered a near-death injury from Alpha-Peter?"  
        Derek and Scott stilled at the new voice in the house that managed to sneak up on them. Scott turned to find Diana walking into the room. She smiled at him before her eyes landed on Derek who's body has tensed at her presence. He ignoring her though as he stacked up enough herbs and closed the floor board up.  
        "It could have helped," she continues. "Instead you wasted a long weekend bedridden and couldn't throw a punch without coughing up blood."   
        They both knew why he never mentioned these herbs. They both knew that weekend was the reason they grew close. In those few days, she started to trust him and he started to trust her. They both knew this, but Derek refused to respond to her. He continued to ignore her and Diana sighed, masking away the effect that had on her.  
        "I'm just here to check in on Isaac," Diana states. "I've been worried."   
        Diana makes her way to the unconscious Isaac and looks him over. Like Scott said, his wounds had healed from the outside, but it was the insides that worried her. She pressed a quick kiss on his forehead before brushing some of his curls away. Derek made his way to the table and Diana slipped past him, allowing him to work in peace.    
        "Is anyone going to give me an explanation, here?" Scott exclaims at Diana and Derek. "Like where you've been for the past couple of months or who that was back there at the hospital? That Alpha?"   
        "It was an Alpha?" Diana asks concerned. She then turned to Derek, who blatantly turned his back on her. "I've been gone for two months and you still couldn't tell him what's going on?"   
        Derek slams his hands on the table and Diana flinched.   
        "A rival pack." Derek responds, hiding a very important detail. "It’s _my_ problem."  
        "This could have all been avoided if you had told me sooner," Diana tells him. "I could have helped."   
        "You've done enough!" Derek growls out, for the first time responding to her. Diana flinched back again, and decided to stop pushing him.   
        "Derek, what can I do?" Scott asks trying to break the tension in the room.  
        "I know you wanna help and you did, I owe you one." Derek sighs out returning his focus to Isaac. "Now go home. Go back to being a teenager."   
        Derek then turned his back on Scott and started to patch up Isaac. Diana sighed, ready to leave the Hale house knowing it wasn't safe to be alone with Derek. She was about to leave before Scott stopped her. He turned to face Derek with a request on his mind.   
        "Uh, hey Derek." Scott quietly says. "If you wanna repay back that favor now... there is something you can do for me." 

*************

        Isaac seemed to improve with whatever Derek had given him. He no longer looked pale and I could hear his heartbeat at a normal pace. There was still a deep tension between Derek and I but I had no other choice but to ignore it. Scott wanted me to wait up with him until Stiles got here. They both wanted an explanation as to where I've been the past couple of months and I owed it to them to explain what was going on.   
        By the time Derek had finished up with Isaac, Stiles had finally gotten here. I earned a very frantic hug from him and practically an angry rant as to how he almost had a panic attack when I suddenly disappeared and my house being empty didn't help. Finally managing to calm him down, I told him I would explain everything once we were done with Scott getting his tattoo.   
        "I thought since you got a tattoo at a normal tattoo parlor, I could get mine too." Scott explains as he rolled up sleeve. "Then it healed and there went my $100."   
        "I was human when I got mine." I explain to him. "You're a werewolf, Scott. It's different for us."   
        "How different?" Scott asks nervously.   
        I turned to Derek who ignored my stare and kept his focus on Scott. He showed his red eyes and scanned Scott's arm to find the healed tattoo.   
        "I see it." he states. "Two bands, right?"   
        "Yeah." Scott says with a nod.   
        "What does it mean?" Derek asks him.   
        Scott sighs, concentration on his face, as he gave us an answer.   
        "I don't know. It’s just something I traced with my fingers." Scott says tracing on the dust on the table two circles.   
        "Why is it so important to you?" I ask him.   
        "Do you know what the word tattoo means?" Scott asks us.   
        "To mark something." Stiles responds.   
        "That’s in Tahitian." Scott tells him. "In Samoan it means  _Open Wound_. I knew I wanted to get a tattoo when I turned eighteen. I always wanted one. I just decided to get it now to make it kind of a reward."   
        "For what?" Derek asks him.   
        "For not calling or texting Allison all summer. Even when I really wanted to. Even when it was so hard not to sometimes. I was trying to give her the space she wants. Now I'm four months later, it still hurts. Still feels like a, uh..."   
        "Like an open wound." I finish knowing exactly what he felt.   
        "Yeah." Scott sighs out.   
        "Pain’s gonna be worse than anything you’ve ever felt." Derek tells him.   
        "Oh. That’s great." Stiles comments already feeling uneasy about the whole thing.   
        "Do it." Scott states determined.   
        Derek nods and pulls out the blowtorch. He quickly sparks a light and the fire burns brightly. Stiles quickly steps back alarmed at the sight of it.   
        "Oh, wow." he exclaims. "That’s... that’s a lot for me. So, I’m gonna take that as my cue. I’ll... I’m actually gonna wait outside."   
        Stiles starts to head out of the room until Derek catches his arm.  
        "Nope." he tells him. "Need help holding him down."   
        Stiles was ready to protest and I could see that he wasn't going to make it. He was already pale and I knew he was squeamish so I decided to step in.  
        "Let him go, Derek." I state. "I can do it... if you don't mind."  
        Derek did not seem happy with my intrusion but slowly nods. Stiles let's out a sigh of relief before smiling at me gratefully.   
        "Thank you, Diana." Stiles states before passing me and heading out of the house.   
        "You're welcome," I whisper as I slowly make my way towards Scott, putting a hand on each shoulder. "You ready kid?"   
        "I don't actually..."   
        Before Scott could finish his response, Derek places the blowtorch on his arm. The skin quickly attempted to heal from the burn wounds but Derek kept the blowtorch in place just enough time for it to leave a mark. Scott wolfed out instantly, growling and trashing in my arms, making it difficult to keep him still. After a few minutes, Derek was done and Scott was passed out. Once I slapped him a few times, he woke up. He instantly looked down and saw the two bands on his arms.  
        "It worked." Scott exclaims happily.   
        Stiles, not hearing the screams of pain anymore, had come back inside and nodded at Scott.   
        "Looks pretty damn permanent now."   
        "Yeah." Scott sighs out passing his hand over his tattoo before rolling down his sleeve. "Kinda need something permanent. Everything that’s happened to us. Everything just changes so fast. Everything’s so, uh... ephemeral."   
        "Studying for the PSATs?" Stiles asks him.   
        "Yep." Scott replies opening the door. He pauses and I stop walking as he does. He stared at the door closely and I wondered what he was thinking. "You painted the door. Why’d you paint the door?"   
        "Go home, Scott." Derek answers seriously.   
        "Why only one side?" Scott asks continues to ask him. Not receiving an answer, Scott takes out his claws and slowly scratches off the paint. After a while he uses both hands to quickly peel off the red paint coat. Derek shouts at him to stop but Scott was too focused in finding out what Derek was hiding. I didn't say a word already suspecting what was behind the paint and I was right. An insignia was painted on the door, a triskele but instead of swirls it was sharp angled lines.   
        "The birds at school. The deer last night." Scott lists off. "Just like the deer when I got bit by the Alpha. How many are there?"   
        "A pack of them." Derek answers. "An Alpha pack."   
        "All of them?" Stiles asks confused. "How does that even work?"   
        "There’s some kind of a leader." I tell them. "He’s called Deucalion."  
        "We know they have Boyd and Erica." Derek states. "Peter, Isaac and I have been looking for them for the last four months."   
        "I've been secretly searching for them the past two." I add in taking notice of Derek's annoyed state.   
        "Is that why you were gone half of the summer?" Stiles asks me.   
        "Partly," I answer.   
        "So you find them." Scott states. "How do you deal with an Alpha pack?"   
        "With all the help I can get." Derek sighs out.   
        Scott turns to Stiles and me, all I do is nod. I knew that the reason they were here was partly because of me. The other reason was because of Derek. Before we could settle anything else, another voice speaks up in the room.   
        "Where is she?" Isaac asks causing everyone to turn to him. "Where’s the girl?"   
        "What girl?" Derek asks confused.   
        "Braeden," I answer. "Her name is Braeden."   
        Everyone turned to me with questions as to how I knew this but all I did was look at Isaac with relief, glad that he was awake.   
        "She's fine, Isaac." I assure him, even though I didn't actually know if she was. "She has to be."


	2. Chaos Rising

        I put one of my song playlist as I started breakfast. The door to [my apartment](http://imnotdoneyet-forreal.tumblr.com/post/147674790427) was wide open and boxes and covered furniture laid around. I hadn't gotten time to set everything in place and I still had more boxes that needed to be brought up. I ignored the need of organization in my new household as I finished the pancake batter and started to flip them out on the stove.   
        "There's nothing I have against a nice breakfast with music but I thought you invited us over so you could explain why you were missing for two  _freaking_ months without a word that you were indeed  _alive_ instead of  _dead_ in a ditch because you're family of killer werewolf hunters hadn't gotten to you yet... There I said it!" Stiles exclaims from his seat while Scott just looked at him in surprise.  
        "I'm making you pancakes Stilinski, keep your mouth shut." I growl out jokingly as I set a stack of pancakes between both boys. "As for an explanation as to where I've been the past two months is easy and complicated at the same time. Short version, Gerard screwed me over on our deal. Uh... he sent out my real legal documents; my name, my social security, my birth certificate... any document or any place that had me I.D. as Diana Ross changed to Diana Cruz."   
        "So you're family... they found you?" Scott asks me.   
        "Kind of," I answer. "Chris Argent was kind of enough to stop that information from spreading further than the Beacon Hill County. But mercenaries and foot soldiers alike have been snooping around here ever since the Alpha fiasco with Peter and Derek becoming an Alpha... word spreads around so I had to make a quick exit. Get the hunters out of my trail and as I did that, I researched the Alpha pack and I tried to find Isaac, Erica, and Boyd. Now I'm here and all's good... well kind of good."  
        "Why did you move out of the cabin though?" Stiles asks me with a mouth full of food. "I mean... that was the perfect place to wolf out and go for a run. It was also in the middle of the forest and I liked it there."   
        "The cabin was too open for me," I answer. "Anyone could ambush me easily and it also holds some memories I want to forget so... hence the move."   
        I gesture to the messy apartment and they just smirk at it.   
        "Well I like it here," Scott tells me. "It's nice and there's lots of space."   
        "Yeah this place is nice but... you're a werewolf for God's sake! Shouldn't you live in the woods with your fellow forest creatures?" Stiles exclaims.   
        "Like you said, I'm a werewolf not some Disney princess." I answer causing Scott to laugh at Stiles' appalled face.   
        "I just... you know what? I'm not taking any of your crap. You scared me to death disappearing like that!" Stiles shouted at me.   
        "I'm sorry, Stiles." I state. "And here I thought I was the adult."   
        "You are," Stiles replies. "But you make stupid ass decisions."   
        "Thank you for that Stiles," I mutter pulling the plate of pancakes away from him and sliding them to Scott.   
        "I'm sorry, I really am..." Stiles quickly mutters out causing Scott to snicker again. "I'm the one making stupid ass decisions. I promise never to..."   
        His words stop when Peter comes inside with stacks of boxes. He settles them on the ground and grins at the shocked Stiles and Scott.   
        "I take it back," Stiles whispers. "You really do make stupid ass decisions."   
        "What the hell is he doing here?!" Scott shouts as he snaps back at me.   
        "I'm helping her move in," Peter replies. "Not like I had a choice..."   
        "He's my beta," I explain to them.   
        "Which to her means I'm her bitch so her wish is my command." Peter mutters unhappily.   
        "If you needed help moving in, I could have helped." Scott offers up while Stiles nodded in agreement.   
        "Peter doesn't have a job and has no social life being the jackass that he is," I explain to them. "He's free while you two are not, which reminds me... aren't you two late for school right now?"   
        Scott quickly checks his phone and groans.   
        "Shit, we're going to be late for English." he mutters as he starts to grab all of his things. Stiles didn't seem bothered by their tardiness.   
        "Dude, we can't just leave her here alone with Peter."   
        "I don't know if I should feel flattered or insulted by what you just said Stiles." I state picking up the plates. "I'm an Alpha and I've had intense training in every type of fighting form there is so, I'll be fine. Go ahead and get to school."   
        "Aren't you coming too?" Scott asks pulling on his back-pack.  
        "With Gerard flushing out my real documents, I got... sort-of promoted, I guess you can say?" I tell them confused. "I don't start till next week."    
        "What's your job now?" Stiles asks me but Scott was already pulling at him to leave. "Scott, I'm just making polite conver-"   
        "Bye, Diana." Scott exclaims before shutting the door of my apartment. I couldn't help but laugh at their exit before scowling at a resting Peter.   
        "You done with the heavy lifting?" I ask him.   
        "Yes, I have." Peter answers. "What will you have me do now?"   
        "Get up!" I order as I make my way to the open area that was meant to be the living room. I pull off my hoodie and tug down the tank top that had risen up. Peter looked at me confused as I unpacked a long box and pulled out a mattress pad. I rolled it out and stepped up on it. I then turned to Peter. "What are you waiting for? Get on the mattress."  
        "I don't know if I want to," Peter states.   
        "What? Scared of a little training?" I ask him.   
        "Scared of training with you." Peter says looking over me. "I'm also wearing jeans and a very expensive shirt so..."   
        I throw a punch at Peter's face only for him to barely snatch my fist before it hit his face.   
        "Good," I state before grabbing the hand that he had up and spinning it strongly, causing him to flip onto the floor. "I thought you lost all of your survival skills."   
        Peter just groans as I crouch down in front of him.   
        "Look, I've been dealt the short stick in this deal," I tell him. "I'm an Alpha who's only made one beta in her life and has been denied the ability to make more. This beta who caused all of that to happen is you and if I'm being honest, you're the runt in the pack, so I'm going to train you until you're not. Understood?"   
        "Understood." Peter mutters as he gets up. He slips off his jacket and rolls up the sleeve of his shirt. "But are you sure this is about bettering me or bettering you?"   
        I start to initiate the attacks, causing Peter to just block.   
        "What is that supposed to mean?" I ask him going in for a kick that manages to hit him.   
        "It means," Peter says wiping the cut on his lip before looking up at me. "That it makes you feel better when you use me as a punching bag."   
        "Causing you pain does bring me some relief," I say as I block Peter's clawed swipes. I push him back to his corner as I push the she-wolf in me down. "But this isn't what that's about, I'm just training you."   
        "Really?" Peter asks as he catches my kick and throws me down to the ground. "Because I would have thought this was your way to let out pent up emotions about this whole thing with Derek."  
        I let out a dry laugh as I take in a deep breath.   
        "Since when did you care about anyone's romantic life?" I ask him as I swing my leg and cause him to drop to the ground too. "As I recall, you manipulated everyone to do as you say!"   
        I roll on top of him and start to punch him in the face, Peter was too slow in blocking them. Peter manages to use my anger against me and overpowers me. He rolls on top, places his arm against my neck, adding pressure lightly.   
        "I'm clever," Peter responds as he spits blood out to the side. "There's nothing wrong with that."   
        "Look at what the cleverness did to you." I spit back. "You're my bitch now. How does that feel? How does it feel to have fallen so far?"   
        Peter wasn't happy with my questions and I use this to headbut him and roll on top once more. I look down at him triumphantly but Peter was still smiling.  
        "I should ask you the same question," he chuckles out. "How could you, Diana Cortez, have fallen so far?"   
        "What are you talking about now?" I ask annoyed.   
        "You're such an idiot." Peter states. "You lost Derek because of your lies and secrets. Now you're doing the same thing to the only two people who stand by your side."   
        "How do you even know-?" I begin to ask him before he interrupts me.  
        "Those two months you were gone." Peter states tilting his head to the side. "What really happened, Diana?"  
        "I, uh..." I whisper. "It doesn't matter."   
        "Yes it does," Peter responds with a smirk. "You were supposed to come back after a week and you didn't. I know that the whole mercenary thing following you was true but something else happened. What was it?"   
        I don't know how Peter knew that I had lied or that I was hiding something but he did. I knew he wouldn't stop until he found out what so I was ready to tell him before a melody fills the room.   
        "Excuse me for a second," Peter says as he wiggles his arm to his back pocket and brings up his phone. He quickly answers it. "Peter, speaking."   
        _"I need your help. Get down here."_    
        I freeze as I hear the monotoned voice coming from the call. It was Derek.   
        "Hell must have frozen over if you're asking me for help."   
        _"I just need your help with Isaac. He can't remember anything and you're the only one who knows how to do the memory recovery. You're the only one who can do it."  
        _"Well, I would  _love_ to help you but I'm in a very  _compromising_ position with the lovely lady-Alpha, Diana." Peter says with a grin as I look down at him with a glare. "She's very determined to be on top, this one."   
        "PETER!" I growl out.   
        _"Just get over here."_  
        The phone call clicks to an end and Peter couldn't look more happy about himself. I punch the smile out of his face before getting up from him.   
        "Give me a minute to get changed," I order as I make my way upstairs.   
        "You can't seriously think you're coming with me?" Peter asks me.   
        "I am," I answer as I look down at him. "This is Isaac, we're talking about and frankly, I don't trust you with him, so I'm going."   
        "Derek's not going to like that." Peter warns me.   
        "He'll get over it." I tell him. "Or so I hope..." 

*************

  
Third POV,  _Derek's Loft_

        Derek was reading over one of the books his family had in storage. He was trying to read the old yellowed pages but was slightly distracted by Isaac's nervous pacing. Both of their moods all had to do with the phone call he made to Peter. Isaac was unhappy with Peter's assistance in recovering his memories while Derek was upset that he had dare speak Diana's name at him. Peter even had the audacity to make a joke about her too and that had sent Derek over the edge.   
        Peter, Isaac, and him had spent a whole summer together and both Isaac and Peter knew not to say her name in his presence, but now that Diana was back into their lives, Peter was enjoying rubbing it all over his face. The way Peter made it sound caused Derek to shake in rage but he managed to stay in control in front of his beta's presence.   
        Derek knew that Isaac was only living with him to keep an eye on him. It was obvious by the way his beta would follow him around and assist him everything he needed help with. Derek wouldn't be surprised that the only reason Isaac accepted Peter's help on this was to appease Derek, and foremost Diana. Derek tried not to be mad that Isaac was loyal to Diana, but he was still angry that his only beta trusted Diana, _the murderer_ , over him.   
        Diana, the murder. The liar. The she-wolf bitch.   
        A hunter.   
        A hunter that killed his family.   
        Derek remembered her now. He remembered everything about her. He remembered the family dinners she went to and how she was always around their house. He remembered how she laughed and smiled when she slept over at Cora's room. He remembered how relaxed she was with his family.  
        Diana was Cora's best friend which was why she was always there. Whenever Cora was busy with some after school club, Laura would always talk to Diana about college stuff or tv shows she was into. Derek remembered his mother taking her in as her own, teaching her how to bake cookies and overall giving her that unique motherly love. Everyone in his family took her in, even Peter joked around with her, even Derek was fascinated by this freshman. From the first time he saw her, Derek had been fascinated with her.

        _It had been a usual morning at his house. Laura being annoyed by everyone being awake so early. His young toddler cousins from his dad side were running around the house in high energy. His mother had quickly set up breakfast for everyone as she herself packed something quick, ready to head to work. Peter was nonchalantly eating a toaster waffle while Cora was slowly falling asleep over her cereal. Due to everyone's morning routine, he had almost been late to his meeting with the basketball coach. Derek knew he was up for team captain and he didn't want to screw it up by being late to this meeting._  
 _Of course, once he arrived to school all of his friends crowded over him. Some were from the team, others were not. Derek greeted them all with the usual jokes and got the usual collected laughs. He quickly broke away from his friend group, ready to head to the meeting when something crashes against him. The force wasn't enough for him to get knock down but it was enough to grab his attention as he looked down to see brown eyes meeting his._  
         _"Sorry I wasn't watching where I was going." the girl tells him with a sheepish smile. Derek was stunned for a second, his heart beating calmly in his chest, which was something that was rare ever sinced his control on his werewolf side was slipping. Something about this girl made him calm. He could feel his eyes wanting to shine blue but his mind snaps into place and he grins down at the unfamiliar face._  
 _"_ _It's fine." Derek tells her. "You're new aren't you?"_  
 _"Yeah, I guess it's obvious." she responds flashing that nice smile of hers. "I'm..."_  
 _"DiDi, she's my little sister. I'm Marcos by the way." says a guy as he interrupts them. Derek politely smiled at him and shakes his extended hand. He could feel that there was some tension between the two, probably because of some fight, but Derek didn't question it as he introduced himself to them... mainly to her._  
 _"_ _Well it's nice meeting you both." Derek says glancing at Marcos and then to her. His green eyes looking down at her brown ones. "I'm Derek. Derek Hale.”_

        "You know, I'm starting not to like this idea. Sounds kinda dangerous." Isaac tells Derek, breaking him out of his memory trance. "You know what? I definitely don't like this idea, and I definitely don't like him."   
        "You'll be fine." Derek tells him as he continued to read his book.   
        "Does it have to be him?"   
        "He knows how to do it." Derek answers. "I don't. Be more dangerous if I tried doing it myself."   
        "Diana, she just... she tried to beat him up when she first saw him so that's not a good sign either." Isaac stops as he noticed Derek become frigid in his seat and backtracks. "You know Scott doesn't trust him, right? You know, personally, I'd... well, I'd trust Scott."   
        "Do you trust me?" Derek asks, trying to calm himself down.   
        "Yeah." Isaac answers as he continued to pace. "I still don't like him."   
        "Nobody likes him." Derek states.   
        The loft door slides open and a grinning Peter appeared with[ an annoyed Diana](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=203995627) by his side.  
        "Boys. F.Y.I., yes, coming back from the dead has left my abilities somewhat impaired, but the hearing still works." Peter tells them.  So I hope you're comfortable saying whatever it is that you're feeling straight to my face."   
        "We don't like you." Derek states his eyes glancing over at a quiet Diana before turning back to Peter. He throws the book in his hands onto the table next to him causing a loud echo in the loft. "Now shut up and help us."   
        "Fair enough." Peter shrugs out before entering the loft. Diana was a little bit more polite and closed the door before making her way in. She didn't dare look up at Derek and instead focused on checking over Isaac.   
        "How you doing kid?" Diana asked him as she took notice of his nervous state.  
        "Nervous, to say the least." Isaac tells her. "I don't want to do this. Please tell me I don't have to do this."   
        "You have to." Derek states interrupting their conversation.   
        "Take a seat, Isaac." Peter instructs pulling out a chair in the middle of the room. "Relax. I'll get more out of you if you're calm."   
        "How do you know how to do this, again?" Diana asks Peter.   
        "It's an ancient ritual used mostly by Alphas, since it's a skill that requires quite a bit of practice." Peter tells them. "One slip, and you could paralyze someone... or kill them."   
        "You... You've had a lot of practice, though, right?" Isaac asks him.   
        "Well, I've never paralyzed anyone." Peter answers as he takes out his claws.  
        "Wait, does that mean that you..." Isaac starts to say before Peter inserts his claws onto Isaac's neck causing Isaac to spaz out and cling onto Peter's arms. Diana starts to move forward before she catches sight of Peter's own blue eyes shine.  
        "Wait, I see them." Peter tells them seeing blurry images before his eyes returned to their normal colors.  
        Isaac fought against Peter's hold but he kept his claws in. The images were still blurry and dark and he could barely make out the figures of two people. One of them was fighting and being escorted out by another two figures but he couldn't identify who was who. Then there was one lone figure that stood out from the rest. That image caused Peter to reel back and fall onto the table. Isaac was gasping, unsure of what just happened.   
        "What did you see?" Derek asks him as Peter walks away leaning on a wall next to Diana.   
        "It was confusing." Peter answers. "Um, im... images. Vague shapes."   
        "But you saw something." Diana states sensing Peter's fear come out in waves.   
        "Isaac found them." Peter tells them.   
        "Erica and Boyd?" Derek asks him.   
        "I barely saw them." Peter answers. "I mean, glimpses."   
        "But you did see them." Diana says urgently.   
        "And worse..." Peter whispers.   
        Derek leans back on his chair unhappily.   
        "Deucalion."   
        "He was talking to them." Peter explains to them. "Something about time running out."   
        "What does it mean?" Isaac asks.   
        "He's gonna kill them." Derek tells him.   
        "No, no, no," Peter exclaims. "He didn't say that. He did make them a promise that by the full moon that they'd both be dead."   
        "The next full moon?" Derek asks him.   
        "Tomorrow night." Diana says tiredly. "Shit..."   
        "This isn't your problem." Derek exclaims at her. Diana turned to look at him seeing his fiery glare on her.   
        "I'm just here to help," Diana argued calmly. "I know Erica and Boyd left the pack but they are still our responsibility."   
        "I turned them, they're  _my_ responsibility!" Derek growls.  
        "This is  _our_ pack." Diana tells him. "We should be working together-"   
        "We've worked together and that didn't work," Derek tells her. "I'm doing this on my own."   
        "Derek, please..." Diana says but Derek just turns away from her and starts to leave the room. "If you just let me explain..."   
        "You fooled us all," Derek exclaims. "I think you've done enough." 

        *************

Diana's POV, _Beacon Hills High School_  
  
        After making sure Isaac was ok after the memory trip, I make my way to the school. It wasn't like I wanted to be there or because there was some killer emergency, but because Scott said there was something I should check out. I did so, believing it would be something that would be useful, only to find myself in some random classroom with Lydia and Allison showing me matching bruises that "had" to mean something.   
        "I don't see anything." I state as I look at the bruises on their arms.   
        "Look again." Scott asks me.   
        "How is a bruise gonna tell me where Boyd and Erica are?" I ask him. "Scott, this is a very big reach. There's nothing there."           
        "It's the same on both sides." Scott argues. "Exactly the same."   
        "It's nothing." I state catching Allison's glare. I match hers with one of my own and even tilt my lips up to a calm grin.   
        "Pareidolia." Lydia says breaking our glaring war. "Seeing patterns that aren't there. It's a subset of apophenia."   
        I roll my eyes at this and sigh in annoyance.  
        "They're trying to help." Scott tells me.   
        "These two." I laugh out, a bit tired of today's events already. I glance at Lydia. "This one, who used me to resurrect a psychopathic Peter, who is now my first, and might I add, my _only_ beta. A beta that is the runt of a pack. Thank you very much for that." Lydia just smiles at me and I turn my glare towards Allison. "And this one, who shot about 30 arrows into Derek and the rest of my pack, who worked with Gerard to end me, and attempted to kill me _twice_ and _failed._ "    
        "Okay, all right, now, come on." Stiles speaks up. "No one died, all right? Look, there may have been a little maiming, okay, a little mangling, but no death." He states stepping into the conversation. "That's what I call an important distinction."   
        "My mother died." Allison grits out, glaring at me.   
        "Your mother's decision to follow your family's little honor code killed her. Not me. Not Derek." I correct Allison. "I am sorry for your loss, Allison, but I had a choice to follow through my  _own_ family code in ending myself after the bite and  _I didn't._ We've all made our choices. We can't change that!"   
        Allison was still glaring at me but I was right and I wasn't going to back down.   
        "That girl was looking for Scott." she tells me. "I'm here to help him, not you."   
        "That girl works for me," I state. "If Braeden was looking for Scott then she would have found him by now. If not, then whatever she had on him was not as important as her life."   
        "You know the girl?" Scott asks me.   
        "I trained her," I tell him before glancing over at Allison. "You wanna help? Find something real."  
         I turn to walk away and was ready to leave the room when Scott stops me from doing so.   
        "Diana... Give her a chance." Scott pleads. "Okay, they're on our side now."   
        "Look Scott, I've had a long day and being shut down by Derek kind of put me in a bitchy mood." I tell him. "So I can't sugar coat this for you and I'm sorry that I have to be this real to you." I grab his shoulders and looked into his eyes. "Working together doesn't work if you're keeping secrets from each other. Take me and Derek for example. I blew it _big_ time with him."   
        "So what are you suggesting for me to do?" Scott asks me.   
        "You should tell her what her mother was actually trying to do that night." I tell him. "Because Derek might have bit her because she almost killed me, but her original murderous goal was  _you._ "   
        Scott frowned as I said this and I gave him a sympathetic smile before leaving the classroom behind. I had to find Braeden but doing that would be useless. I taught her how to hide and searching for her would take a long time, time that I didn't have. I just had to find Erica and Boyd before Deucalion got what he wanted and the only way to do was through an amnesiac Isaac. 

*************

        Scott and Stiles came up with a good idea fairly quickly. Once they got out of school they got all of us together at Deaton's clinic where we all started to put the plan into motion. Empty bags of ice were strewn around the room. We were all still spilling out ice into the bath until Deaton gave us the sign that it was enough for whatever he had planned to do to get Isaac's memory back.   
        "Obviously, it's not going to be particularly... comfortable." Deaton tells a nervous Isaac. "But if we can slow your heart rate down enough, you'll slip into a trance-like state."   
        "Like being hypnotized." Isaac points out.   
        "Exactly." Deaton agrees. "You'll be half-transformed. It'll let us access your subconscious mind."   
        "How slow does his heart rate need to be?" Scott asks Deaton.   
        "Very slow." he answers.   
        "Okay, well, how slow is very slow?" Derek asks him.   
        "Nearly dead." Deaton answers.   
        Isaac places his hand on the ice water but quickly retracts it with a hiss.  
        "It's safe, though, right?" Isaac asks nervously glancing up at Deaton.   
        "Do you want me to answer honestly?"   
        "No." Isaac says with a shake of his head, looking back down at the water. "No, not really."  
        A loud snap captures everyone's attention and we all look up to find Stiles playing with a latex glove. He smiles at all of us before dropping it.   
        "What?"   
        I narrow my eyes at him and he grumbles as he pulls out the latex gloves and walks over to the ice bath. I return my attention to Isaac who just lets out a shaky breath.   
        "Look, you don't have to do this." I tell him.   
        "Where was that when I needed it earlier?" Isaac chuckles out as he rubs the back of his neck. I look at him with concern and he just smiles down at me. "It's ok. I can do it. For Boyd and Erica."   
        "Ok," I say taking a step back.   
        Isaac strips off his shirt and throws it aside. He takes a deep breath and lets it go as he looked down at the ice water. Without hesitation, he steps into the ice bath, instantly shivering at the very cold temperature. He hisses and gasps, but there was no time to have him adjust to the water. Scott and Derek quickly come up to his sides and push him under the water completely. Isaac trashes around, throwing ice and water out of the tub, before pushing his way to the surface, all wolfed out.   
        "Get him back under." Deaton orders. "Hold him."   
        "We're trying!" Derek shouts.  
        Isaac trashes around wildly and Stiles and I step in to hold his legs under the water. In doing so, Derek and Scott were able to force Isaac down. He continued to trash for a few good minutes before becoming eerily still. We all hesitantly pull our hands away from him and Isaac floats to the top.   
        "Now, remember, only I talk to him. Too many voices will confuse him and draw him out." Deaton whispers to all of us before turning his attention to Isaac. "Isaac? Can you hear me?"  
        "Yes." Isaac answers lowly. "I can hear you."   
        "This is Dr. Deaton. I'd like to ask you a few questions." Deaton tells him. "Is that alright?"   
        "Yes."   
        We all glanced around each other before Deaton takes a deep breath and starts the interrogation.   
        "I want to ask you about the night you found Erica and Boyd. I want you to remember it for me in as vivid detail as possible, like you're actually there again."  
        "I...I don't wanna do that. I don't..." Isaac exclaims, his fear easily showing. "I don't wanna do that. I don't wanna do that."  
        He starts to trash around again and the lights in the office start to flicker. Thunder booms outside the office and I look up at Deaton who's staring right at me.   
        "Diana, can you...?" he asks me quietly nodding towards Isaac. I make my way to his side and look down at Isaac.  
        "What do you want me to do?" I whisper back at him as Isaac continued to whimper in fear and trash around in Derek's and Scott's arms.   
        "You're the packs mother." Deaton states. "Comfort your pack."  
        I didn't miss the glare that I got from Derek as I approached Isaac and placed a hand on his shoulder. I felt his fear so clearly and I instinctively brush through his hair in order to calm him. That seemed to settle him enough for Deaton to continue.   
        "Isaac, it's all right. Just relax." Deaton mellowly tells him. "They're just memories. You can't be hurt by a memory."   
        "I don't wanna do that." he argues.  
        "It's all right." Deaton continues to tell him.   
        "I don't wanna do that." Isaac repeats as he grips my hand very tightly. I place my other hand over his and could feel his fear seep into me with dark veins that were similar to the ones when I took away people's pain. Isaac settles once this happens and I quickly take my hand away from him, shaking slightly from the cold water and the fear that disappeared inside me.  
        "Isaac, let's go back to that night, to the place you found Erica and Boyd." Deaton continues. "Can you tell me what you see? Is there some kind of building? A house?"   
        "It's not... it's not a house." Isaac shivers out. "It's stone... I think marble."   
        "That's perfect." Deaton comments. "Can you give me any other descriptors?"   
        "It's dusty, so empty." Isaac describes. "Like an abandoned building?"   
        The thunderstorm outside is heard again and the lights flicker quickly.  
        "Isaac?" Deaton asks him concerned. "Isaac?"   
        "Someone's here." Isaac says shaking his head in fear. His hang reaches out and grabs mine tightly, feeling his claws sink into my skin. "Someone's here."   
        "Isaac, relax." Deaton tells him.   
        I sustain a groan of pain as Isaac continued to trash in fear. I tried to soothe him as he did this but Scott and Derek were forced to grab him once more.   
        "No, no, no, they see me, they see me!" Isaac shouts as he fights against Derek's and Scott's hold on him. He screams out in fear and all I could do was attempt to take his fear away again but his claws in my skin made that hard for me to do.   
        "Just memories. You won't be hurt by your memories. Just relax. Relax." Deaton says calmly causing Isaac to stop fighting against everyone. His hold on me loosens and he returns his hand back into the water. "Good. Now tell us what you see. Tell us everything."   
        Isaac's closed eyes flickered with movement. He was calm and collected as he recounted to us as to what he found.   
        "I hear him." he states as he opens his eyes and stares blankly ahead of him. "Boyd's talking about the full moon, about being out of control when the moon rises."  
        "Is he talking to Erica?" Deaton asks him.   
        "I think so, I can't... I can't see her." Isaac stutters out. "I ca... I can't... I can't see either of them."   
        "Can you hear anything else?"   
        "They're worried." Isaac answers. "They're worried what they'll do during the moon. They're...worried that they're gonna hurt each other."   
        "If they're locked in together on the full moon, they're gonna tear each other apart." Derek states.   
        "Isaac, we need to find them right now." Deaton says more urgently. "Can you see them?"   
        "No."   
        "Do you know what kind of room it is? Is there any kind of a marker? A number on a door? A sign?" Deaton asks him continuously.  
        Isaac shoots up from the water and we all look down at him in surprise. The lights in the room flicker quickly again as Isaac quickly begins to sink back down in the water with fear.  
        "They're here. They're here... They..."   
        "It's all right." Deaton says looking up at me.   
        "No." Isaac exclaims tearing himself away from my touch.   
        "Just tell us..." Deaton tries to say before Isaac's fear interrupts him.   
        "They see me. They found me." Isaac tells us. "They're here!"   
        "This isn't working." Derek states. "Isaac, where are you?"   
        "I can't see them." Isaac continues to shout in fear. "It's too dark!"   
        "Just tell me where you are." Derek exclaims.   
        "You are confusing him." Deaton warns him.   
        "I can't see!" Isaac shouts.   
        "Isaac, where are you?" Derek continues to ask him. "Just tell me where you are!"   
        "His heart rate... he could go into shock." Deaton warns him.   
        "Derek, let him go!" Scott shouts at him.   
        "I want him out of the water!" I exclaim as I try to push Derek off Isaac. "I want him out of there right now!"   
        "Isaac, where are you?" Derek asks him as he clings onto a frightened Isaac. "What did you see?"   
        The lights of the clinic flicker harshly and everyone was trying to fight for control. Derek continued to shout questions at Isaac while I tried to fight him off. Deaton and Scott were trying to calm us down, in fear that Isaac could go into cardiac arrest. Stiles kept his distance, in fear of getting hurt if any one of us wolfed out. Words stumbled out of Isaac's mouth during all of this went down and he finally shoots up from everyone's hold on him.    
        "A vault! It's a bank vault!" Isaac shouts out, standing up from the water. "I saw it! I saw the name." Isaac quickly steps out of the bath and I bring a blanket and cover his shivering body with it. "It's, uh... B-Beacon Hills First National Bank." Isaac stutters out. "It's, um... it's an abandoned bank, and they're keeping them locked inside, inside the vault."  
        We were all quiet as everything that had just happened settled. The argument and the fight between Derek and I was forgotten as we all remembered what Isaac had been rambling about while he was in his hypnotic state.   
        "What?" Isaac asks us, noticing our dark mood.   
        "You don't remember what you said right before you came out of it, do you?" Stiles asks him, knowing full well what Isaac had said throughout this whole scene.   
        "No." Isaac responds cluelessly.   
        "You said when they captured you that they dragged you into a room and that there was a body in it." Stiles tells him.   
        "What body?" Isaac asks still confused.   
        "Erica." Stiles tells him. "You said it was Erica."   
        The thunder echoes outside and the lights flicker back on. I hand Isaac back his shirt and he gladly places it on as he attempts to regain feeling on his body. We all didn't know how to react to Isaac's revelation. I wanted to refuse the thought that she was dead but Isaac was very clear in his memory of her.   
        "She's not dead." Derek states as he paces around the room.   
        "Derek, he said, _there's a dead body. It's Erica_." Stiles states. "Doesn't exactly leave us much room for interpretation."   
        "Then who was in the vault with Boyd?" Derek exclaims.   
        "Someone else, obviously." I answer.   
        "Maybe it was the girl on the motorcycle." Scott offers up, looking up at Isaac. "Okay, the one who saved you?"   
        "How many times to I have to say that Braeden would be an absolute idiot to have gotten captured?" I pipe up. "It wasn't her."   
        "Besides, the girl in the vault was like us, a werewolf." Isaac tells us.   
        "What if that's how Erica died?" Stiles offers up. "They, like, pit them against each other during the full moons and see which one survives. It's like werewolf thunderdome."   
        "Then we get them out tonight." Derek states.   
        "Be smart about this, Derek." Deaton advises him. "You can't just go storming in."   
        "If Isaac got in, then so can we." Derek replies.   
        "But he didn't get through a vault door, did he?" Deaton asks him.   
        "We need a plan." I state.   
        "How are we gonna come up with a plan to break into a bank vault in less than 24 hours?" Derek growls out at me.   
        "Uh, I think someone already did." Stiles states as he looked down at his phone. " _Beacon Hills First National closes its doors three months after vault robbery."_ he reads out before looking up at us. "Doesn't say here how it was robbed, but it probably won't take long to find out."   
        "How long?" Derek asks annoyed.   
        "It's the internet, Derek. Okay?" Stiles chuckles out. "Minutes." 

*************

        Stiles' "minutes" ended up being an all-nighter of endless research. Luckily, he managed to find out that the Sheriff had a first row seat in the whole vault robbery of the bank. The Sheriff had been the one to lock the robbers up and he knew how they did it. Stiles was able to get all of the information out of him and was going to recount our plan after him and Scott got out of school.   
        I didn't enjoy this rescue plan at all. I still haven't found Braeden and the full moon was tonight. We were once again running against the clock and that usually never ended well with any of us. But this was the only way we were going to be able to save Boyd and whoever else was with him. I was willing to go through all of this madness if it meant saving a life instead of ending it.   
        As soon as the time came, I was back at Derek's apartment. This time I arrived with Stiles and Scott who carried books and rolls of architects outlines of the bank. Stiles spread everything around on the table and was ready to explain everything to us.   
        "Okay. You see this?" Stiles asks us pointing to a vent. "This is how they got in. It's a rooftop air conditioning vent." He circles it in a big red circle before circling the location of the vault. "Leads down inside into the wall of the vault, which is here. Okay?" Stiles asks us as we continued to listen to him. "One of the robbers was lowered into this shaft. Now, that space is so small, it took him about 12 hours to drill into that wall, which is stone, by the way. Then throughout the rest of the night, they siphoned the cash up to the guys back on the roof through that one little shaft in the wall. _Boom_."   
        Stiles caps his red sharpie after explaining the break in successfully.   
        "Can we fit in there?" Scott asks him.   
        "Yes, we can, but very, _very_ barely." Stiles answers. "And they also patched the wall, obviously, so we're gonna need a drill of some kind. I'm thinking maybe a diamond bit..."   
        "Look, forget the drill." Derek interrupts.   
        "Sorry?" Stiles asks confused.   
        "If I go in first, how much space do I have?" Derek asks him.   
        "What do you... what do you think you're gonna do, Derek?" Stiles asks him sarcastically. "You gonna punch through the wall?"   
        "Yes, Stiles, I'm gonna punch through the wall." Derek answers annoyed.   
        "Okay, big guy. Let's see it. Let's see that fist. Big, old fist. Make it, come on." Stiles taunts as Derek tightens his jaw and makes a fist. "Get it out there. Don't be scared. Big, bad wolf." Stiles continues before raising his hand about a few inches away from Derek's fist. "Yeah, look at that. Okay, see this? That's maybe 3 inches of room to gather enough force to punch through solid co... " Derek immediately punches forward causing Stiles to fall back due to the strength of the punch. "...He could do it."   
        I help Stiles up and inspect his hand before he pulled it back to himself.   
        "I'll get through the wall." Derek states looking up. "Who's following me down?"  
        "Don't look at me." Peter answers. "I'm not up to fighting speed yet, you can just ask Diana how well that went for reference..." Peter says glancing over at me with a smirk before turning back to an annoyed Derek. "And honestly, with Isaac out of commission, and you hating your ex-whatever, you're not looking at very good odds for yourself."   
        "So I'm supposed to just let them die?" Derek argues.   
        "One of them is already dead." Peter exclaims.   
        "We don't know that."   
        "Do I have to remind you what we're up against here? A pack of alphas." Peter tells him. "All of them, killers. And if that's not enough to scare your testicles back into your stomach, try to remember that two of them combine bodies to form one giant Alpha. I'm sure Erica and Boyd were sweet kids. They're gonna be missed."   
        "Could someone kill him again, please?" Stiles pipes in.   
        "Gladly," I answer gaining a glare from Peter, one that I returned.   
        "Derek, seriously?" Peter argues once more. "Not worth the risk."   
        "What about you?" Derek asks.   
        "Yeah, if you want me to come..." Stiles mutters out.   
        "Not you." Derek tells him before Stiles nods and gets out of the way. Derek looks at Scott expectantly and he just sighs.   
        "I don't know about Erica, but if Boyd's still alive, we have to do something." Scott tells him. "We have to try."   
        "But?" Derek asks him.   
        "We need everyone we can get." Scott tells him glancing over at me. "And you know Diana's the best at fighting and she knows more about them than we do."   
        Derek's glare lands on me and his scowl was set on tight on his face.   
        "I'm here to help." I state. "I want to help."   
        Derek lets out an angry sigh before nodding.   
        "Fine, you can come with us."   
        "Then it's settled," I say quietly. "Just that..."   
        "Just that what?" Derek asks annoyed.   
        "Who's the other girl?" I ask him concerned. "The one locked in there with Boyd?"   
        "Does it really matter?" Derek asks grabbing his stuff and heading out of the door. I just shake my head at his attitude before grabbing my own things and following after him with Scott by my side. 

*************

  
Third POV,  _Derek's Loft_

        They had left twenty minutes ago and Stiles looked out of the window and stared at the full moon that was slowly rising to it's peak. They should have gotten to the bank by now. They should have called him to tell him off this update and not hearing from them was making Stiles' anxiety to rise. He didn't enjoy being out of the loop but he also didn't enjoy the maiming and the fighting so he knew why he sat out of this. That didn't mean he was too happy about it though.   
        "I can't take waiting around like this, you know?" Stiles rambles to a bored Peter. "It's nerve-racking. My nerves are racked. They're severely racked. Racked."   
        "I could beat you unconscious and wake you when it's over." Peter offers up from his seat on the couch.   
        "You think Erica's really dead?"   
        "You think I really care?" Peter answers annoyed.   
        "I just... I don't understand the bank, though, okay?" Stiles rambles out. "Wha... like, why wouldn't they chain them up in some underground lair or something? They're an Alpha pack, right? So shouldn't they have a lair?"   
        "They're werewolves, not Bond villains."   
        "Wait a sec. Wait a sec. Maybe they're living there. You know?" Stiles exclaims walking around Derek's very dark loft. "Like, maybe the bank vault reminds them of their little wolf dens."   
        "Wolf dens?" Peter asks amused.   
        "Yeah, wolf dens." Stiles states turning to look at him. "Where do you live?"   
        "In an underground network of caves hidden deep in the woods."   
        "Whoa, really?"   
        "No, you idiot. I have an apartment downtown." Peter chuckles out before turning away from the twitchy teenager. From everyone he could have been alone with, it had to be Stiles. "I live in the building across from Diana which was how she managed to rope me into helping her move."   
        "Okay, fine, but still, that just proves that there's something up with the bank." Stiles continues with his theory. "And why wait around for the full moon, huh? Why not just kill them whenever they want to?"   
        "Maybe they think it's poetic." Peter sighs out.   
        "They've already had three full moons to be poetic."   
        "And here you've only had one full hour to be so annoying..." Peter starts to say before sitting up, an idea coming up to his mind due to Stiles rambling.   
        "No, go ahead, finish what you were saying. _I'm an... I'm annoying_." Stiles remarks at a realizing Peter. "What were you gonna say there?"   
        "What are the walls made of?" Peter asks moving to the table with all of the bank's information and layouts.   
        "What?" Stiles asks confused to the sudden question. "Uh... I don't know, like, wood and brick or..."   
        "No, the vault," Peter tells him. "The vault, the walls, what are they made out of? Where would it say that?" Peter looks over the architect layout but doesn't find anything. "Doesn't say anything. Where... where would it say the materials, the type of stone?"   
        "Oh.. Oh, hang on. Yeah, here, hang on." Stiles answers looking over the collected information and stacks of paper. He finally finds the material lists and hands it to Peter. "Here. It's gotta be in there."   
        Peter grabs the stack of papers and starts to desperately search through all of them. Stiles wasn't sure what exactly he was looking for with intense need but whatever it was, it couldn't be good. 

*************

  
Diana's POV,  _Beacon Hills First National Bank_

        We finally make it to the alley behind the back and stop right beside the abandoned bank. I start to surveil the alley, making sure there wasn't a trap or some Alpha standing guard, seeing it clear, I look over the building trying to see how we were going to make it to the roof. As I did this, I could sense Scott's hesitance in the plan and the glances he was give over to Derek and I made it obvious too.   
        "What?" Derek finally asks him.   
        "There's just something I can't get out of my head." Scott answers.   
        "The moon's rising, Scott." I tell him. "What is it?"   
        "Risk and reward."   
        "Which means what?" Derek asks impatiently.   
        "We're not measuring the risk with enough information. We don't know enough." Scott tells us.   
        "We know time's running out." Derek offers up.   
        "Yeah, but think about it. They put the triskele on your door four months ago." Scott states. "What have they been doing all this time? Why wait until now?"   
        "We don't have the time to figure out every little detail." I tell him.   
        "Okay, but what if this detail, the reason why they waited... what if it's the most important one?" Scott asks us.   
        "Then we do nothing. And Boyd and Erica are dead." Derek answers. "I know what I'm risking. My life for theirs."  
        Derek takes a running start and manages to use the wall as leverage before jumping to the half-hanging ladder. He quickly climbs it and drops it to us.   
        "I won't blame you if you don't follow me." Derek tells Scott before using the stairs to make his way to the roof. I glance over at a deciding Scott knowing that he was right.   
        "Look, I know we're rushing this which is a mistake we keep on repeating but I can't let Derek go in by himself." I tell him. "I can't have him getting killed. I owe it to him. I took away his family, his home... I can't take away his pack either."   
        I don't wait for Scott to reply to that and start to climb the ladder up to the staircase. It didn't take long to hear the ladder creak as Scott followed me up.   
        "If you're keeping an eye out on Derek, who's keeping an eye out for you?" Scott asks me with a smile. I couldn't help but chuckle at that as we both quickly made our way to the roof.  
        Like Stiles had said, there was vent on the roof which was enough room for Derek, Scott, and I to climb through our wanted location. It only took three minutes for Derek to punch through the concrete wall sending him to roll out of the hole he made. Scott and I followed quickly after him, our vision impaled a bit by the dust that flew around us. After a while, it cleared up and we could see the darkness the vault contained.   
        "Boyd?" Derek asks as a looming dark figure appears behind a pillar. "Boyd? It's me. It's Derek."   
        Boyd just growled at us and I knew it had to do with his still uncontrolled transitions with the full moon.   
        "Boyd, it's me Diana." I say softly, earning a growl from him. "You remember me, right Boyd?"   
        Scott's phone buzzes and he immediately answers it.  
        "Stiles, now is not the best time."   
         _"_ _Scott! Scott! No, listen to me, okay?"_ Stiles exclaims. _"Look, you gotta get outta there. Look, the walls of the vault are made with a mineral called hecatolite. It scatters the moonlight."_  
"What does that mean?" Scott asks him.   
        I was concerned with the sudden phone call but I move away from Derek's side as he handled Boyd while I searched for a sign of Erica or the mysterious other girl.   
        "Erica?" I ask out. "Or anyone else...? We're here to get you out, okay?"   
        " _Look, it keeps the moonlight out, okay? They haven't felt the full moon in months."  
        _I stop searching as I find another dark looming figure appear behind a second pillar. Her hair covered her face but I could still hear her growl.  
        " _Okay, think of it like the gladiators in the Roman colosseum. They used to starve the lions for three days, making them more vicious, more out of control. Deucalion has kept them from shifting for three full moons, diminishing their tolerance to it."  
        "They're gonna be stronger..."   
        "_ _More savage, more bloodthirsty,"_ Peter continues. _"They're the lions. They're the starved lions, and you and Derek and Diana just stepped into the colosseum."_  
"Guys, we got a problem, a really big problem." Scott states.   
        I knew what our problem was but I couldn't help but become frozen as the she-wolf in front of me growled once more, half her being tucked behind her ear. It was a face that I never thought I would see, one that I thought had been dead for 6 year, one that I thought I had let die.   
        "Cora?" I gasp out in shock, my throat tightening and eyes watering.  
        "Who?" Scott asks confused.   
        Derek snaps towards the side I was on as he heard me say her name.   
        "Cora?" Derek asks looking over the dark figure in front of me, his eyes filled with the same shock as mine.   
        "You two have to get out." Cora growls out. "Get out now!"   
        I wanted to ask how this was possible, how she was even here, but a movement from the corner of my eye captures my attention and I see Marin coming up to the vault's entrance.   
        "You..." I whisper confused before I took notice of the dark powder that seem to surround the whole room but stopped at the entrance. I start to run towards her, sensing what her plan was. "Marin, don't...!"   
        But I was too late. Marin drops the last of the mountain ash and completes the boundary, preventing any of us to come out.   
        "You bitch." I exclaim. "I trusted you!"   
        Cora and Boyd start to growl more loudly, they're eyes glowing gold and fangs extending from their mouth. Scott quickly pulls me away from them and forces me behind him.   
        "You two know her?" Scott asks me motioning to Cora.   
        "She's my sister, my younger sister." Derek answers stunned.   
        "She was my best friend," I whisper. "I thought she was dead."   
        "What the hell is she doing here?" Scott exclaims.   
        "Like I have a clue!" Derek shouts. "We all thought she was dead!"   
        Scott in his need to protect me, gets easily thrown to the side by Boyd. Derek takes the opportunity to tackle Boyd to the ground and I was left with an attacking Cora who was more animal to human right now.   
        "I never thought that our reunion would be with a catfight." I mutter as her claws caught my right arm. I push off the pain and instead use it to motivate me into fighting. I capture Cora's claws and force her back. I kick her into the wall hoping that would incapacitate her for a few minutes but she's once again lunging after me.   
        Scott takes her attack away from me and I'm suddenly grabbed by Boyd and thrown across the room. I gasp as I felt all the air escape my lungs giving Boyd the chance to land some blows on me before Derek took him on. Scott was getting brutally slayed by Cora and I quickly tackle her to the ground and take some swipes at her before she throws me off her.   
        "Look out!" Allison exclaims at us suddenly, at her position from the vault. I didn't have the time to deal with her as I tried to get Cora to remain down. Scott was attempting to help Derek with Boyd but they were both getting brutally attacked by him. Cora manages to spin herself on top and was clawing at my chest and arms. I managed to block a few of her hits but she was faster and stronger than a beta should be.   
        "No!" I hear Derek shout from his corner. "Don't break the seal!"   
        "What?!" I exclaim, forgetting Cora, as I look up to see Allison stupidly break the black ash boundary.   
        "Boyd!" she shouts.   
        Hearing this and not being stuck from some boundary, Boyd and Cora take off running from the vault and out of the bank. I quickly roll out of my position and march towards the Allison. I slam her against the wall angrily.   
        "What the  _hell_ were you thinking?" I shout at her.   
        "Don't touch her!" Scott exclaims pulling me away from Allison.   
        "Diana's right, what were you thinking?" Derek growls at her.   
        "That I had to do something." she answers us.   
        "She saved our lives." Scott argues.   
        "Yeah, and what do you think they're gonna do out there?" Derek exclaims. "Do you have any idea what we just set free?"   
        "You want to blame me?!" Allison shouts at him. "Well, I am not the one turning teenagers into killers."   
        "No." Derek responds just as angry. "No, that's just the rest of your family."   
        "I made mistakes. Gerard is not my fault."   
        "And what about your mother?" Derek grits out.   
        "Derek let it go." I tell him noticing that Allison had yet to know about her mother's true intentions the night before her death.  
        "What do you mean?" Allison asks confused.   
        "You should have told her, Scott." I whispered at him who was avoiding eye contact from Allison.  
        "What does she mean, Scott?" Allison asks turning to Scott for answers. "What do they mean?"


	3. Fireflies

        [I was sprinting.](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=204635461) My hair was snapping around as I jumped over fallen trees and avoided low branches. I could practically hear my heart pumping and my wolf howling to be set free. All of this, the adrenaline, the fear, the need to hunt Cora and Boyd was overwhelming and the simple act of running wasn’t helping. I could feel my heart pumping and the burning in my legs but I kept going. I had to find them. I had to stop them before any innocent lives could get hurt.  
            I push myself to run faster as I catch sight of one of them. I instantly shift my running direction angled and before I know it I tackle Cora down. We roll on the ground a couple of times before she ends up above me. Her claws slash down my arms but I ignore the pain and send my hand up her nose, fracturing it momentarily. I then push her off me and try to keep her down.  
        “You so owe me after this,” I grit out as I try to catch her clawed hands from hurting me further. Cora snaps her heard forward and headbuts me. I hadn’t expected that from her as she threw me off her easily and runs off.  
        “Yup,” I groan out as I roll myself to a standing position. “You owe me _big_ time.”  
        I let myself heal from my wounds before taking off running. I try to follow the trail that Cora was leaving behind but I stop when my phone starts to ring.  
        “ _I lost Boyd.”_ Scott states.  
        “And I had Cora but she slipped away.”  
        “ _You two lost them?_ ” Derek exclaims.  
         _“Yeah, I kind of had to.”_ Scott answers.  
        “ _Wasn't exactly the plan._ “  
        “We know, which is why I think that we should stick together.” I offer up. “Cora isn’t there right now. She’s strong, fast, and hungry for blood. It’s too much for just one of us to handle. We’ve got to do this together.”  
        “ _I agree.”_ Scott sighs out.  
        Derek’s side of the phone call was silent before we hear him exhale heavily.  
        “ _Look, I'm at the trails by the entrance to the preserve. Can you meet me here?_ ”  
        “I’m on my way.” I answer as I change direction.  
        “ _I’ll be there a little late,”_ Scott mutters. _“Just got to drop something off first.”_

*************

        We ran together down the trails of the Beacon Hills Forest. Neither of us saying a word as we tried to track them. We all catch their scent and start to chase after it. I slow down my pace as I involuntarily took the lead. Scott, Derek, and I continued to chase whatever we can find on them before I leap over a fallen tree and land on a crouched position. My hand traces a footprint feeling the freshness of the disrupted dirt. I look beyond the single footprint and find multiple prints.   
        "Is it them?" Scott asks as he stands beside me.   
        "We're not the only ones that decided to stick together." I tell him.   
        "Is that gonna make it easier or harder to catch them?" Scott asks us.   
        Derek looked around the forest.   
        "I don't know."   
        "Guys... I saw Boyd try to rip two little kids apart." Scott tells us. "Are they gonna do that to everyone they find?"   
        "Everyone and anyone." Derek states before taking off on his own. Scott looks up at me with concern and I stand up, masking my own worries.   
        "We need to keep going," I tell his as I wipe the dirt off my hands. "We need to stop them before anyone gets hurt."   
        Scott nods at the order and we both start to follow the footprint trail that was left for us. We run through the entirety of the forest before sensing the human heartbeat not too far off our right. Scott and I just share a glance before sprinting towards it. The sounds of fighting made me run faster as I sensed Isaac being in the midst of it all.  
        I jump over a crouched Isaac and attack Cora. We both fall on the ground but quickly rise to our feet. I look at a growling Cora as I let my red eyes glow. Isaac and Scott flank my sides as I stared her down. Derek runs in as well and lets out a growl. Cora seeing us all there, makes a run for it. Derek and Isaac chase after her while Scott and I remained behind.   
        "Are you okay?" Scott asks the girl who had watched all of this go down. She was very pale and her mouth was slightly open.   
        "What?" she stutters out.   
        "Are you alright?" I ask her as I raise my hands up at her, trying to convey that I wouldn't harm her. She was shaken up and I couldn't blame her. "You need to get out of here, okay? Get out of the woods. Get out of here as fast as you can."   
        Scott and I don't wait for her to respond before running after Derek and Isaac. We quickly find them a few miles out with no signs of Cora or Boyd. We were about to split up in pairs of twos in order to find each one of them when Scott gets an urgent phone call. It sounded like Stiles and the news he gave us wasn't good.   
        "Are you sure?" Scott asks him.   
        " _Yep. Throat ripped out, blood everywhere. It's like the frickin' shining over here. Two little twin girls come out of the woods, start asking me to play with them forever and ever, I'm not gonna be surprised."  
        _"Can you get a little closer to make sure it was them?"   
        " _Make sure it was them?"_ Stiles scoffs out. " _Scott, who else is going around ripping throats out?"  
        _"Please just do it." Scott hangs up before looking up at all of us.  
        "This doesn't make any sense." Derek comments with a scowl. "The public pool is all the way on the other side of the woods. We haven't tracked them anywhere near there."   
        "Derek, they killed someone."   
        "How are they moving so fast?" Derek asks, ignoring Scott.  
        "Derek." I call out to him.   
        "They can't be that fast on foot!" he exclaims.   
        "They killed someone." I say stepping towards him, his eyes directly falling on me. "Some totally innocent kid is dead... And it's our fault."   
        "It's _my_ fault." Derek grits out.   
        "We need help." I argue with him.   
        "We have Isaac now." Derek states.   
        "I mean _real_ help." I tell him, causing everyone to look up at me in confusion. "They're too fast for us, for all of us. They're too strong, too rabid, too animal than human."  
        "We'll catch 'em." Derek argues with me.   
        "What happens if we do?" Isaac asks us. "We just gonna hold them down until the sun comes up?"   
        "Maybe it would be easier just to kill 'em." Derek states.   
        "Killing them isn't the right thing to do." Scott argues.   
        "What if it's the only thing to do?" Isaac asks us. "If we can't even catch them, what else do we do?"   
        "I can think of someone who can help us with this mess." I say as I walk through the crowd making my way out of the reserve.   
        "Who?" Derek asks as he follows after me.   
        "Someone who knows and has the right equipment to hunt werewolves." 

*************

  
Third POV,  _Parking Lot_

        Chris Argent had just finished with his grocery shopping and had an armload of groceries. He opens the back of his car, ready to set them in when one of his bag fell. He sighs before putting the rest of the bags inside before reaching for the fallen paper bag. Chris curses as he notices it was the bag that carried the carton of eggs that were now cracked. He places the bag in the trunk and slams it closed before immediately pulling out his gun and pointing at Diana's unamused face.   
        "Hello Chris." Diana mutters as she glared at the pistol in her face. Chris argent just sighed as he caught sight of the she-wolf.  
        "Do you think this is gonna work?" Isaac asks Derek and Scott who were waiting inside his car, watching Diana and Chris from afar.   
        "Nope."  
        "Me neither." Isaac agrees.  
        "Really guys?" Scott asks them. "Can't you have a little faith in her?"   
        "I don't trust hunters and I don't trust her." Derek answers. "Whatever she's doing is not going to work."   
        Scott shakes his head at Derek but doesn't offer any more commentary as he watched Chris and Diana talk.   
        "So your, uh... your sister..." Isaac starts to say before earning a glare from Derek. "Sorry, yeah, it's... It's bad timing, I'm sorry. I'll ask later. It's fine." This gained him another glare from Derek and Isaac completely stopped the attempt of conversation. "Or never. Yeah, yeah, I'm good with never."   
        Diana explained the situation with Chris but he was determined to stay out of it.   
        "First of all, why would I care about anyone related to Derek?" Chris asks her, still pointing the gun at her face. "And second, I don't know this kid Boyd. I don't even know his last name."   
        "Boyd is his last name." Diana tells him.   
        "What's his first name?"   
        "Vernon." she answers quickly before her gaze falls to the gun that was still pointed at her face. "And just because I'm curious, is there a reason the gun is still pointed at me?" Diana asks him as her brow quirks at him in amusement. "I mean... I could easily disarm it from your hand in 6 different painful ways but I think a verbal approach would be best."  
        "There's probably still some part of me that wants to shoot you." Chris answers before he puts the gun down.   
        "Even after all you did for me?" Diana asks him. "For someone who hates my kind, you helped me a lot more than hurt me."   
        "I was just trying to fix what Gerard had destroyed." Chris tells her. "It had nothing to do with you."   
        "Understood," Diana says with a shrug.   
        "Diana," Chris says with a heavy sigh. "You, from everyone, must understand why I want to stay out of this." He pauses as he searched through the she-wolf's carefully masked expression. "I watched my father brainwash my daughter... almost turned her into a killer. That world... _your_ world decimated mine. My wife, sister, father, my entire family. Why would I ever step foot in it again?"   
        "Because people are going to die." Diana tells him. "And because you and I know how to catch Boyd and Cora without killing them. You have the weapons and the hunter set of mind to help me with this."   
        "I'm sorry." Chris apologizes taking a step back. "I can't help you."   
        "Ok," Diana says with her own sigh. She let her emotions show on her face, revealing to Chris how tired and stressed she was. "Do you think you could do me one small favor?"   
        Chris narrowed her eyes at her as she glanced at the parked SUV not too far from them.   
        "Derek and I are not in good terms and I don't want to deal with the awkward atmosphere in the car," Diana explains to him. "Do you mind giving me a lift?"   
        Chris just sighs but gives in. The girl seemed to honestly mean it and need it.   
        "Get in," Chris grits out.   
        Diana glances up at the SUV before walking up to the shotgun seat. Chris turns on the engine and Diana begins to give him directions, silence filling up the car as Chris drove straight. Diana looked at the rearview mirror and noticed Derek's SUV tailing them. She kept this information to herself as Chris drove her to a location.  
        "Left or straight?" Chris asks her.   
        "Left." she answers. "It's right around the corner. That parking lot there." Chris makes the turn and finds the flashing lights of police cars. "Just a little further up, right here."  
        Chris noticed the black body bag that was being rolled into the ambulance. Diana watched the scene too until the car halted to a stop.   
        "Thanks again for the ride, Chris."   
        Diana was ready to leave before Chris placed a hand on her arm, stopping her.  
        "They did this? Boyd and..."   
        "Cora." Diana tells him. Chris' grip on the steering wheel tightened before he released it. He sighed and turned his attention back to Diana.   
        "Where's the last place you saw them?" 

_Beacon Hills Preserve_   


  
        Derek and Isaac were weary of Chris' offer to help them catch Boyd and Cora. Scott and Diana trusted him to an extent. Diana led him towards the last location they had tracked Cora and Boyd before all trails vanished. Even their scent had disappeared along with their footprints. Chris scanned the whole area, dropping the duffel bag beside him, as he crouched down to look at the footprints more clearly.   
        "You're tracking them by print?" Chris asks them.   
        "Trying to." Scott answers.   
        "Well, then, you've been wasting your time." Chris tells him. "There's only one creature on earth that can visually track footprints, and that's man." Chris then stands up and overlooks all of them. "And if you're not trained like me or Diana, you have no idea that this print is Boyd's and these..."  
        "...are Cora's." Isaac finishes. Diana shakes her head and Isaac looks up confused.   
        "No, Isaac, they're yours." she tells him as Chris nods in agreement. "You stepped on Cora's as soon as you walked over here."  
        Isaac looks down at the prints with confusion then with realization. He shrugs apologetically before turning his attention back to Chris Argent.   
        "Listen, I know the four of you are focusing half your energy on resisting your own urges under the full moon, but that puts you at a severe disadvantage to Boyd and Cora, who have fully given in." Chris tells them. "They put the pedal to the floor where you three are barely hitting the speed limit."   
        "So what do we do?" Derek asks him.   
        "Focus on your sense of smell." Chris answers. "Actual wolves are known to track their prey by up to a hundred miles a day by scent. A trained hunter can use scent to track them. If the wind is with them, wolves can track a scent by a distance of two miles, which means we can draw them to us..."  
        "...Or into a trap." Diana continues. "Full moon does give us one advantage. They'll have a higher heat signature, which makes them easier to spot with infrared."   
        Chris gives Scott, Isaac, and Derek their own night vision goggles. Derek just glares at them before throwing them back at Chris.   
        "Thanks, but I've got my own." Derek tells him as he lets his Alpha eyes glow. Chris rolls his eyes at this before continuing with his speech.   
        "Just remember, we're not hunting wild animals. Underneath those impulses are two intelligent human beings." Chris explains to them. "Don't think they can't rely on that human side. It's suppressed, but it's there, reminding them how to mask their scent, how to cover their tracks, how to survive." Chris pauses before his attention falls on Derek. "When's the last time you saw your sister?"   
        "Seven years." Derek tells him. "I thought she died in the fire."   
        "Do you feel like you have a lock on her scent?" Chris asks him but Derek shakes his head. He then turns to Diana. "How about you?"  
        "I've gotten close to her twice but... I'm more focused on not dying." Diana answers. "I wasn't able to lock in on her scent."   
        Chris sighs and turns to the beta he's been trying to avoid.   
        "Scott, how confident are you in your skills?"   
        "Honestly, most of the time, I'm trying not to think about all the things I can smell." Scott answers him. Chris doesn't bother to ask the second beta about his skills knowing it would be useless.   
        "Alright." Chris sighs out. "The problem is when they breach the woods and hit the residential area. Once they're past the high school, they're right in the middle of Beacon Hills."   
        "They're not gonna kill everything they see, are they?" Isaac asks him.   
        "No," Chris answers. "But there is an important difference to recognize. Wolves hunt for food. At a certain point, they get full. But Boyd and Cora are hunting for the pleasure of the kill, for some primal apex predatory satisfaction that comes from the ripping of warm bodies to bloody shreds. And who knows when that need gets satiated?"   
        "We can't kill them." Scott states.   
        "What if we can't catch them?" Derek asks.   
        "Then maybe we just need to contain them." Chris offers up. "There's no one in the school at night, is there?"   
        "You want to trap them inside?" Diana asks him.   
        "If there's somewhere with a strong enough door, no windows or access to the outside." Chris states.   
        "What about the boiler room?" Isaac asks. "It's just one big steel door."   
        "You're sure the school's empty?" Chris asks them.   
        "It has to be." Diana answers looking down at the watch marking four A.M. "There can't be anyone there this late, right?" 

*************

  
Diana's POV,  _Beacon Hills Preserve_

        Chris returned to his car and brought out another bag of weapons that would be useful for us in our new plan. He sets the bag down and unzips it revealing high-tech tools. He pulls one out and shows it to all of us. The silver picket gleamed in the full moon's light. It's been awhile since I've seen one of these, especially one this newly innovated.   
        "These are ultrasonic emitters." Chris tells us. "It's one of the tools we use to corral werewolves, pushing them into a direction we want them to run. Gives off a high-pitched frequency that only they can hear."   
        Chris pushes the button and we all immediately cover our sensitive ears.   
        "God, no kidding!" Isaac exclaims before Chris turns them off.   
        "These are gonna drive them to the school?" Derek asks still hesitant about this whole plan.   
        "And then it's up to you to get them into the basement." Chris answers.   
        "Does anyone else want to rethink the plan where we just, uh, kill them?" Isaac asks.  
        "It's going to work." Scott states. "It'll work."   
        Chris hands out two emitters to each of us. We each claim what area we're placing them on. I take the lead and the farthest location since I was the fastest to reach to that point. We all take off in our designated locations. I could hear the high pitch noise as I sprinted down the preserve before I placed my own emitters and turned them on. I slow down as I reach the final location, the school. No one had made it down yet so all I could was wait.   
        "And the hunted becomes the hunter... again." Peter remarks appearing behind me. I roll my eyes at him as I turn around. "You really think a few high-tech dog whistles are gonna help?"   
        "I don't see you offering a hand." I answer. "But even then, you'll just drag all of us down."  
        "Ouch, my ego." Peter sarcastically says as he feigns pain.   
        "Get over yourself, Peter." I grit out. I turn my attention back at the school and sigh. "Cora's alive."   
        "I've heard." Peter replies. "Let's throw the reunion party when she's not an unstoppable killing machine. Except either you or Derek won't be invited since you cannot resolve this tension between you two."   
        "What are you even doing here, Peter?" I ask him annoyed by his presence already.   
        "We never finished that conversation from yesterday morning." Peter answers. "As I recall, you were about to tell me..."   
        "Nothing," I state as I start to walk away from him.   
        "Now, you know that's not the case." Peter says following after me.   
        I let out an annoyed chuckle as I turn back to face him.   
        "What do you want me to tell you, Peter?" I ask him. "Do you think the two months I was gone has some dirty little secret you can later use as blackmail against me? Well guess what, the answer is no."   
        Peter masks away his surprise by my sudden reaction but I still noticed it as I slowly walk towards him.   
        "Do you want to know what happened to me in the last two months?" I ask him. "I was running away from distant relatives but I lost them in just a week. It was easy to do it when you're not running like a human but just like a wolf. I was a wolf for a few weeks, Peter, but it felt like days. I felt such a relief being a wolf. All of my human problems were gone, all the pain, all the suffering, all the memories of Derek and my family... As a wolf, all I wanted to do was run and be free! I was free!"  
        I take a deep breath as those memories replayed in my mind.   
        "The next thing I know, I find myself back in Beacon Hills." I whisper. "I find myself at the Hale House and I remember everything. I couldn't run away forever. I just couldn't..."   
        Some sort of stress was relieved of me as I confessed all of this to a bored beta.  
        "I got myself together and started to track the Alpha pack." I say, returning all of my emotions back to one of seriousness. "I found information, hired Braeden, and I made my way back home."   
        "Well that was... pointless." Peter mutters.   
        "I know, but you really wanted me to tell you so there it is." I tell him. "That's how I spent my summer."   
        "You tracked the Alpha pack," Peter states. "You know what this whole night is about."   
        "I can stop Cora and Boyd." I tell him. "No one has to die tonight."   
        "But they have too!" Peter exclaims. "Deucalion wants you and Derek to kill them. He wants you to get rid of his baggage, making it easier for you to join his pack. The fact that it was supposed to happen in the vault, and not up here, out in the open, doesn't change his plan. It just means that Boyd and Cora are gonna kill a few innocent people first."   
        "And I should just let them?" I ask him. "I should be okay with innocent people dying?"   
        "Unless you're okay killing your own." Peter answers.   
        "I can catch them and I will."   
        "Oh, come on, Diana." Peter sighs out. "Let Scott deal with it. Let him be the hero of his morally black and white world. The real survivors, you and I, we live in shades of gray."   
        "And what about Derek?"   
        "What about him?" Peter asks me. "He doesn't care about us anymore. We're killers to him. You're a killer and I'm a killer. We can't change our labels."   
        I just glared at him and Peter just chuckles as he tilts his head at me.   
        "You can't honestly believe you can change what you are." Peter tells me. "You were born a hunter, raised as a hunter, and kill as a hunter."  
        "I can hear them coming," I tell him as I hear Scott and Isaac make their way down to the school. "You should leave."   
        "Like they all say,  _ignorance is bliss._ " Peter states grinning at me before taking his leave. I glared at his retreating figure before he was no longer here. Scott and Isaac appear shortly after and I mask away what just happened as I turn to greet them. 

*************

  
Third POV, _Beacon Hills Hospital_

        Stiles has had a rough night. Not only was Scott and Diana running around trying to stop crazy lunatic werewolves from killing anyone, there was a situation with Lydia. She found the slashed body with no explanation as to why. Suspecting that it was Boyd and Cora's doing, Stiles let it go until Melissa had decided to call him with an update on the murder. So now here he was, at the hospital, being led down the hallway by Melissa.  
        "If you tell anyone that I showed you this, I swear to God, I will kill you painfully and slowly." Melissa threatens him as she takes him down to the morgue.   
        "Why do you want to show me a body I've already seen?" Stiles asks her.   
        "Because you haven't seen everything." Melissa tells him as she takes the sheet of the corpse. She puts on the latex gloves before showing him the lacerations. "See this around his neck? That's a ligature mark. That means that he was strangled with something, like cord, rope..."   
        "Ah, okay, wait a second." Stiles interrupts her. "What kind of werewolf strangles someone? You know, that's not very werewolf-y."   
        "My thoughts exactly." Melissa agrees before returning her focus on the body. "And then there's this."   
        Melissa tilts the boy's head revealing a hole on the back of it.   
        "God, man, what is that? Is that brain matter?" Stiles exclaims disgusted. "Yeah, it's brain matter, of course."  
        "See the indentation?" Melissa asks him. "He was hit in the back of the head, hard enough to kill him. In fact, any one of these things could have killed him. I mean, someone seriously wanted this poor kid dead."   
        "All right, so then this couldn't have been Boyd or Cora, you know?" Stiles concludes. "They wouldn't have done all that. So maybe this is just one murder. I mean, maybe it's just a random coincidence."   
        "I don't think it was just one." Melissa tells him.   
        "How come?" Stiles asks her.   
        "Because that girl over there, she's got the exact same injuries." Melissa says pointing to the covered corpse on the table beside them.   
        "Show it to me," Stiles found himself saying, as he felt a heavy pit on his stomach. He felt like he knew what he was going to see under the sheet but he wanted to be wrong.   
        "The M.E. said this one wasn't just strangled. Whoever did it used a garrote, which is a stick that you put through the rope, and you just kind of keep twisting, and..." Melissa stops her explanation as she notices Stiles' pale face. "Stiles? Oh, my God, did you know her? I'm so sorry. I didn't even think."   
        Melissa immediately covers the young girls' face and turns to Stiles in concern.   
        "I was... I was at her party." Stiles tells her, tears in his eyes. He clears his throat before continuing. "It was her birthday. Her name is Heather."   
        "Okay, we need to call your father, because you're a witness." Melissa tell him before noticing his silent state. "Stiles?"  
        Stiles stared at the guy's slashed throat and remembered the purity ring he wore on his right hand.  
        _Stiles, I just turned 17 today. And you know what I want for my birthday? To not be a 17-year old virgin.  
        _Stiles recalled these recent memory and snapped out of his daze.   
        "Has anyone else been through here tonight?" Stiles asks her. "Any... any other bodies, or even anybody missing?"  
        "Uh, no, no bodies, but, um..." Melissa stops as she remembers the recent case.   
        "What?" Stiles asks her.   
        "Two girls." Melissa tells him. "They brought the first one in, Caitlin, for a tox screen, and then I overheard that her girlfriend... Emily, just disappeared. I mean, they were out in the woods and..."   
        "Nobody's found her yet?" Stiles asks her.   
        "I don't know." Melissa answers.   
        "Okay, first one..."   
        "Caitlin." Melissa tells him.   
        "Caitlin," Stiles repeats. "Is she here? Is she here right now?"   
        "I think so."   
        "Okay, where?" Stiles says moving towards the door before Melissa stops him.   
        "Okay, okay, wait. Just wait a minute." Melissa tells him.   
        "I have to talk to her." Stiles exclaims urgently.   
        "Why?"  
        Stiles didn't know how to explain it to her without sounding crazy. His mind was connecting the murders to one common factor. The guy Lydia found had a purity ring. Then there was Heather...  
        "Because I think I know what's happening." 

*************

        Scott and Isaac pull the locked doors open and reveal the dark hallway of the school. I hadn't stepped a foot in there for awhile now. It was strange to be back here again. Once we opened that one set of doors, I told Isaac to check on the other exits while Chris set a few more emitters around the school property to insure that Boyd and Cora would enter that one open school entrance. I stand by him, as he stands up from the last set emitter on the ground. His focus was elsewhere.   
        "Do you see that?" he asks me. I look up at whatever he was looking at and find fireflies glowing around us.    
        "Yeah, it's a firefly." I tell him.   
        "No, no, I know, it..."   
        "What?" I ask him concerned.   
        "It's, uh... it's very unusual." Chris answers. "The, uh, California fireflies aren't bio-luminescent. They don't glow."   
        "That's... that's abnormal animal behavior." I state. "Something's off..."   
        Our conversation is cut short as a howl is heard. I can sense them coming our way and Chris and I immediately go our separate ways. I run to one of the sides of the school and catch sight of them. I follow after them only to see them take an alternative route from the entrance. I make my way around and find Isaac being cornered by them but not too long as Chris turns on his car and beeps at them. Cora and Boyd take off running but instead of going into the school where Derek was waiting for them, they jump over it.   
        "They're not going through the school." Scott says as he runs up beside me. "They're going over it."   
        Chris gets out of his car and we all meet up at the open entrance as Derek steps out.   
        "The red doors, someone has to get them open." Chris states. Derek does as Chris says and makes his way to the other side of the school.   
        "Someone has to drive them inside." Scott states.   
        "I'll go." Chris volunteers as he raises an electric baton.  
        "No." I tell him. "I'm faster."   
        I turn to Scott and Isaac.   
        "Make sure they make their way inside the boiler room." I say before taking off. I sprint to the other side of the school just in time to see Cora and Boyd run inside. I close the doors and place a metal bar to keep them in place. My focus then turns upward as I find Allison putting her bow and arrow away. I look up at her confused and she looked down at me with the same expression before taking off.   
        Allison and I weren't in good terms ever since her mother's death and Scott's revelation as to what happened but for this one single moment tonight, we involuntarily work together. I decided not to chase after the young huntress as I made my way around to the other open exit of the school and made my way inside. I find Chris alone in the hallway supervising the stairwells. In the distance, I could hear growls coming from downstairs.   
        "They followed them down," Chris informs me. "I'm not sure if they've locked them in yet."   
        All of sudden, I hear something slam closed and the growls stop.   
        "I think they did it," I tell him. "I think it actually worked."          
        I don't wait for Chris' response as I made my way downstairs to find the metal door locked closed. Derek pulls away from the door while Scott was just sitting on the floor, out of breath.   
        "Did that actually just work?" I ask in disbelief.   
        "It worked." Derek sighs out before leaning on the wall and taking a break himself.  
        Scott stands up and makes his way towards the door. He presses his ear on it, listening.   
        "What are you hearing?" Derek asks him.  
        "Heartbeats."   
        "Both of them?" I ask him as I sit down on the steps of the stairs, taking a break of my own.   
        "Actually..." Scott trails off before turning to face me with concern. "Three of them."   
        "That can't be right..." I begin to argue before I hear it myself. There were two rapid heartbeats that could only be Boyd and Cora's while the other one was steady... human.   
        "What are you doing?" Scott asks as Derek steps towards the metal door.   
        "Close the door behind me and keep it shut."   
        "You go in there alone, and you're either gonna kill them, or they kill you." I exclaim.   
        "That's why I'm going in alone." Derek states.   
        "Derek, no!" I shout as I try to stop him but it was too late. Derek immediately opens the door and slams it closed behind him. Scott quickly locks it and I slam the door repeatedly. "Derek!"   
        "Diana!" Scott shouts at me, as he pulls me away. "Diana, stop!"   
        I find Scott pulling me away from the door and pressing me against the brick wall.   
        "He knows what he's doing so stop." Scott tells me.   
        "He's going to die in there," I shout at him as I push him against his chest. "You're letting him die, Scott!"   
        I could hear the growling increase and feel the vibrations of the fight from outside the boiler room. I grimace as I catch the scent of blood, not knowing if it was his or Cora or Boyd. The smell of blood increases and I start to drop to the floor, Scott barely catching me.   
        "What's going on?" he asks me as I let out a groan of pain.   
        "He's..." I grimace as I feel the deep cuts Derek was enduring on my own skin. I could taste blood in my mouth even though I wasn't badly injured. "He's hurting."   
        Another spasm of pain causes me to writhe in Scott's arm.   
        "He's... he's sacrificing himself." I whisper as I start to cough up small drops of blood.   
        "Diana?" Scott exclaims afraid.   
        "I can feel it happening..."   
        "Diana!"   
        " _Derek..."_ I whisper as my eyes shut closed.   
        "Diana!" Someone screams. "The sun's coming up!"   
        I could feel someone moving me but I was too tired... too in pain to open my eyes.   
        "Diana!" someone shouts again, closer. "Diana! Wake up, please wake up..."   
        My eyes flutter open as I see gold curls framing a concerned face.   
        "The sun's up." Isaac tells me. "It's over. It's all over."   
        I still felt weak as Isaac helped me up to my own feet. I spit out remnants of blood in my mouth as I reclined on the wall. Isaac's hands were still on my hands and I saw the dark veins on his hands.   
        "Stop that," I tell him. "I'm fine."  
        I turn my focus to the open metal door and slowly make my way in. Isaac was close behind me, waiting to assist me. I take a few steps deeper into the boiler room to find two unconscious bodies on the floor. Scott was looking down at a bloodied Derek who looked as dead as I felt.   
        "There's a teacher." Derek breathes out. "I'll take care of her. Get them out of here."   
        Isaac takes a hold of Boyd while Scott carries Cora out. I just follow after them, before glancing back down at Derek. His eyes stare deeply into mine before he looks away. We return to the usual ignorant silence as I make my way upstairs. Chris helped Scott and Isaac load Cora and Boyd into Derek's car. As I approached them, I felt a searing pain on my neck, causing me to stumble and fall.   
        "Diana!" Isaac shouts concerned once more.   
        I gasp in pain as my hand clutches my neck. A burning sensation that was growing worse. I saw black dots appear in my vision before Isaac's face comes into view once more. I was in his arms as he carried me into the vehicle.   
        "He likes her," I whisper tiredly. "He likes her."   
        The black dots in my vision grows and I find myself falling into a darkness full of pain.

*************

  
Third POV,  _Beacon Hills Hospital_

        Scott was tired and over all done with the stress of the whole night, especially with Diana who had passed out at the end of it all. Isaac promised him he would take care of her, but it didn't stop him from being stressed. The way she looked before she fell, the pain in her eyes, seemed to look like something he was familiar with... heartbreak. Yet that wouldn't be reason enough to make Diana pass out so Scott just pushed that concern into the back of his mind as he met Stiles in the hospital's morgue.   
        Stiles had called in Scott after he confirmed his suspicions. Caitlin had confessed to him what he already suspected which made these two murders have a pattern. Now he knew what happened to Heather but knowing seemed much more scarier than not knowing.   
        "So Boyd and Cora might not have killed anyone?" Scott asks him as Stiles explained the way the guy and Heather had died.   
        "You're gonna wish they did." Stiles answers.   
        "Why?" Scott asks confused.   
        "I'm not exactly sure yet. The other girl who was out in the woods, Emily?" Stiles tells him. "Eventually they're gonna find her. She's one of them. Emily, Heather... That guy Lydia found at the pool. All three were virgins... And they're all gonna have the same three injuries... strangled, throat slashed, head bashed in." Stiles explains to Scott. "It's called the _threefold death_."  
        "So if these aren't random killings, then what are they?" Scott asks him.   
        "Sacrifices." Stiles answers. "Human sacrifices."


	4. Unleashed

        I walked around Beacon Hills with the most casual outfit I owned. My hair was up in a high ponytail and I was provided with a bright red whistle to use if I needed to. I finished all of my paperwork and was headed to Coach Finstock’s office when I take notice of the new teacher walking ahead of me. My wolf was urging me to go attack her at her weakest and show her who the dominant Alpha was but I pushed the urges away and placed a smile on my face.   
        “You must be the new English teacher.” I state loudly running up to her. The stack of books she held in her arms scatter across the floor and I had to restrain the amused smile from appearing on my face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”   
        “It’s not you, it’s me.” she responds. “I’ve been jumpy ever since I’ve got here.”   
        “I wonder why,” I whisper as I grab some books from the floor and hand them to her. “New town, new school, new _high_ school.”  
        “High school, yes.” she states with a short laugh.   
        “My name is Diana Cruz.” I say introducing myself to her. “I’m the newly promoted Cross Country and Track coach.”   
        The woman, who was incredibly beautiful, nervously takes my extended hand and shakes it.   
        “Jennifer Blake.” she says with a small smile. “It’s nice to meet you Diana.”   
        Jennifer lets go of my hand and we both just stare at each other in an awkward silence. I was trying hard not to let my wolf side take control while she seemed to try to read me as friend or foe.  
        “Well, I hope you have a nice day,” I tell her giving her another fake smile. “If you ever need anything, someone to talk to or help with anything, don’t hesitate to call me.”   
        I walk past her and was ready to leave the conversation as that before she speaks up.  
        “Do you… uh…”   
        I turn back to look at her and I could see that she was debating whether to tell me what happened to her the night of the full moon. I quirk my eyebrow at her, ready to threaten her into silence if need be, but she shakes her head and just smiled at me again.   
        “Never mind.” Jennifer sighs out. “I’m just… struggling with the move but I’m fine.”   
        “Word of advice,” I say hiding once more behind a fake smile. “Adrian Harris, chemistry teacher, stay away.”   
        “Why?” she asks amused. “He seems like a nice guy.”   
        “He tends to hit on the new female staff. Very insistent that one.” I answer with a chuckle. “Just be aware.”  
        Jennifer smiles at that and nods before entering her room. The smile on my face drops as I felt a slight pain on my neck again. I place my hand and try to massage the kink out but I knew it wouldn’t go away. I knew what was happening. Deaton had just confirmed what I feared. I leaned on the row of lockers outside the classrooms and sighed.  
        The conversation wasn’t too hard to eavesdrop. It was obvious that Jennifer and Derek were into each other and I was the one out of place. I pushed whatever heart I still had left aside and took a deep breath as the door of the classroom closed. Derek starts to walk away and I push myself off the metal lockers, making enough noise to catch his attention.   
        “She’s beautiful.” I state. “And kind… has a sense of humor too.”   
        Derek stands very still, his back towards me, and from the tight fists by his side, I knew he was very upset.  
        “She also knows what you are…a werewolf.” I tell him. “And she doesn’t fear you.”  
        I take a few more steps closer to him and I could see him tense even more.   
        “I just want you to be happy. So if Jennifer is the one…”   
        “I don’t need your permission to date someone else.” Derek snaps at me as he turns to look at me. “I don’t need you.”   
        “I know…” I whisper taking a slight step back. “I was just… I just want you to be happy.”  
        “Happy?” Derek scoffs out in disbelief. “If you wanted me to be happy then you should have left and never come back.”   
        “You know I can’t.” I answer. “I have people here. I have Isaac and Scott and Stiles. You might not need me but they do.”  
        It was hard. This was the first time we’ve been alone together and actually spoken. Derek was letting out waves of anger and disgust in which I ignored. I sighed and casted my eyes down, so tired already of this argument that would surely never end.   
        “Look, I just want to mend things.” I tell him. “We’re mated and there’s no way around it. If you found someone else who makes you happy, go for it. I’m not going to stop you. That’s all I wanted you to know.”   
        I didn’t wait for another angry remark and I turn away from Derek and start walking down the hall. I didn’t get to far as my emotions started to weigh down on me.   
        “Word of advice,” I state as I try to keep the tears at bay. “She’s human and she expects human things. Flowers, chocolate, movie nights… just something to think about.”   
        I start to walk away again, ignoring the burning sensation on my neck, as each step took me farther away from him. 

*************

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills National Park_

        “I'll remind you all, cross-country is not optional for lacrosse players. I don't need you turning into a bunch of fat-asses in the off-season. So work on that.” Coach Finstock states before sighing and turning to Diana with an annoyed expression. “As everyone sees Diana, our former trainer, has been promoted to head coach of Cross Country. Now take it away, Diana…”   
        Diana turned to the cross country team, recognizing most of their faces from the lacrosse team. She didn’t bother placing a smile on her face knowing that this wasn’t some easy filler season like it’s been for the past few years. Under her order, Diana was going to better the Cross Country team. It was one of the only few highlights she had in her life right now.   
        “Hello everyone,” Diana starts off. “I’m Diana Cruz, but Beacon Hills High knows me as Diana Cortez, a record setting runner that has yet to have her record broken. I’ve been trained from a young age to run and I take it seriously.”  
        Diana’s eyes scan over the pair of twins who were grinning at her. The she-wolf wasn’t easily intimidated and just stared them back with unamused intensity.   
        “I will break you, rebuild you, and then break you again.” she states. “Running isn’t some simple act. You will become stronger, faster, and gain tolerance against pain. If this is something you can’t deal with it, it’s not too late to quit now.”   
        The team whispers among themselves, even Scott and Stiles seemed to reconsider their commitment to the team. No one had walked away and so Diana continued with her introduction speech.   
        “There is an upside to me being a hard ass though.” Diana states as she look over them, a hint of a smile appearing on her lips. “You manage to keep at pace with me until the end of the course, or even better, you manage to beat me, you don’t have to ever come to practice and you get an A+ for your P.E. credit.”  
        The murmurs among the group grows louder and Diana couldn’t help but chuckle as they all seemed confident that they would be able to beat her. Scott, Stiles, and Isaac knew better though and they just sighed in defeat.   
        “It won’t be easy,” Diana warns with a smirk on her face as she watched the still grinning twins. “But you’ll have a season full of chances and I’m not a quitter.”   
        Diana then turns to Coach Finstock and nods at him.   
        "I'll lead the run and you can stay here and look pretty, Coach." Diana says with a joking smile. "You can blow the whistle when you're ready coach."  
        Diana walks past the Alpha twins without glancing back at them. She stood in front of the group of teenagers waiting for the whistle. The Alpha twins stood a few feet behind her, knowing better than to make a scene here in front of everyone, but that wasn't their plan either. With their attention on their Alpha, they could feel Isaac Lahey, the beta that got away, rile up easily. Scott was still oblivious about the whole thing but they knew that wouldn't last long.   
        The whistle blows, and all of them start off running.   
        Isaac is ready to sprint after them, seeing that the twins focus was primarily on Diana. They turned back to look at him with smirk on their faces before they quickly catch up to her.  
        "Isaac!" Scott calls out to him, preventing Isaac to chase after the Alphas.   
        "It's them." Isaac tells him, before brushing Scott's arm off and sprinting away.   
        "Isaac, wait!" Scott shouts, starting to sprint after him. "Isaac!"   
        Everyone was running as fast as they could to catch up to Diana. But many lost hope as they realized that their coach was not lying about being fast. The only ones trying were the twins and they were almost on her tail. Isaac chased after them, running on pure instinct, focusing on protecting his Alpha, his family.   
        Diana knew what they were up to and if they wanted to play chase, she would give them chase. She never thought of what Isaac would do to protect her. Diana had been a packless Alpha for so long to forget that there were people willing to fight for her. Diana ran as fast as she could through the trail, feeling the twin Alpha's chuckling in amusement as they caught up to her.  
        Diana believing she was on the lead stops when she doesn't sense them following after her anymore. She stops running and turns around to find the trail empty behind her. Her eyes scan the forest behind her, waiting for some sort of attack. Her hearing then searches for them and she freezes when she senses who else was following after her.   
        "Isaac..." she whispers in concern.   
        Diana starts sprinting down the trail again and finds Isaac being held by the two twins.   
        "Ethan, I always forget, how many bones in the human body?" Aidan asks his brother.   
        "I don't know. Let's count." he responds.  
        Diana doesn't wait for them to make a move and instead tackles one of them to the ground. Luckily, Scott had arrived at that time and punched the other twin aside.   
        "That's one." Scott says as punches the twin in the face, causing a crunching noise.   
        "And that's two... and three." Diana states grabbing Aidan's wrist and snapping it to the side before breaking his noise with her fist.   
        Isaac quickly stands up and pulls Diana behind her. Scott as well stands in defense of their Alpha. Diana didn't like being hind a line of defense but didn't have much of a choice. Both of the Alpha twins growl and replace their broken bones in place for them to heal. Aidan growls and let's his red eyes and claws out. Ethan soon does the same.   
        Diana, Scott, and Isaac were about to let their own wolves out before a scream fills the forest. Diana turns back and starts to make her way down the trail again. Most of the team had stopped mid-trail and were staring at a hanged, dead body on the tree.   
        "It's him, isn't it?" Stiles asks Scott.   
        Scott didn't know how to respond. Stiles' theory of human sacrifices seem to become more possible by the second.   
        It didn't take long for the scene to be joined by the police. The Sheriff pushed his way in and started mouthing off orders to his deputies.   
        "Hey, get out of the way. Get back. Get this area cordoned off before they trample every piece of evidence."   
        "Back up! Everyone back!"   
        "Get these kids out of here!" Sheriff exclaims.  
        "Dad, just come here. Look, look. Look at it." Stiles tells him, motioning to the body. "It's the same as the others, you see?"   
        "Yeah, I see that. Do me a favor. Go back to school, yeah?" Sheriff asks him. "Coach, can you give us a hand here?"   
        Diana grabs the whistle around her neck and blows it.   
        "You heard the man. Nothing to see here." Diana exclaims, herding the team back to the trail and to the locker rooms. "Probably just some punk kid..."   
        "Diana..." Scott tells me.   
        "Yeah?" Diana responds as she manages to get everyone to walk back to the school.  
        "He was a senior."   
        "Oh," Diana sighs looking back at the body. Her eyes narrow down at the way it was displayed and the injuries he had. "What the hell is going on here?"   
        "You see the way the twins looked at him?" Isaac asks all of them.   
        They all glance over at the Alphas who seemed as confused and surprised as they were.   
        "Yeah, you mean like they had no idea what happened?" Stiles asks Isaac.   
        "No, no, they knew." Isaac replies, glaring at them once more.   
        "Just let it go, Isaac." Diana tells him.   
        "They were after you," Isaac grits out. "They were a threat to you."   
        "I can handle myself, Isaac." Diana responds. "I'm the one supposed to be protecting you, not the other way around."   
        Isaac scoffs at this.   
        "Ok, well how are you going to handle protecting us and dealing with them at the same time?" Isaac asks her. "They're killing innocent people."   
        "I don't think so," Stiles pipes in. "The kid was strangled with a garrote, all right? Am I the only one recognizing the lack of "werewolfitude" in these murders?"   
        "Oh, you think it's a coincidence they turn up and then people start dying?" Isaac asks Stiles, turning his annoyance on him.   
        "Well, no, but I still don't think it's them."   
        "Scott? Diana?" Isaac asks. "What do you think?"  
        "I don't know yet." Scott answers while Diana remained pensive.   
        "You don't know yet?" Stiles exclaims.  
        "Well, he's got a point." Scott argues, siding with Isaac. "Seriously, dude, human sacrifices?"  
        Diana snaps back into the conversation at the mention of human sacrifices.   
        "Scott, your eyes turn into yellow glow sticks, okay? Hair literally grows from your cheeks and then will immediately disappear, and if I were to stab you right now, it would just magically heal, but you're telling me that you're having trouble grasping human sacrifices?"  
        "That's a good point too." Scott sighs out.   
        "I don't care. They killed that kid, they killed the girl that saved me. I'm gonna kill them too." Isaac states before walking away. Scott and Stiles were about to start following after them when they notice that Diana was no longer with them either. She had stopped and was staring at them with a very blank expression, one that made Scott and Stiles uneasy.   
        "Diana?" Stiles asks her.  
        "Human sacrifices." Diana states. "Where y'all going ever going to tell me about that?"   
        Scott and Stiles share a look, realizing the grave mistake they've done. The night that Diana had passed out on the night of the full moon was also the same night that Stiles discovered this potential theory of human sacrifices happening in Beacon Hills. They should have told Diana right away but had forgotten too. Hearing her upset tone, made them realize that she was slightly hurt by being left out of the loop.   
        "We forgot," Scott sighs out. "After all you've been through..."   
        "Human sacrifices," Diana cuts him off again. "That's a pretty big leap. Have you told Derek about this?"   
        "No," Scott replies. "But we didn't..."  
        Diana pushes past them and starts to make her way back to school. Scott and Stiles quickly follow after her.   
        "Diana." Scott calls out to her.   
        "He needs to know." Diana tells him. "Keeping secrets from each other have a bad consequence."  
        "Ok, ok." Stiles mutters, blocking her path. "But this is a working theory, we don't know what's causing them."   
        "Then I'll ask Derek if he knows." Diana says as she steps around him and continues to walk.   
        "Are you going to ask him about why you passed out the night of the full moon too?" Scott calls out to her. Diana stops walking, and sighs.   
        "That's not important right now." Diana answers.   
        "I thought keeping secrets was bad." Scott tells her.  
        "It is," Diana says turning to look at him. "I don't know what makes you think I have one." 

*************

Third POV, Derek's Loft 

        Cora had been working out non-stop since she woke up this morning. Derek was unaware of this until he found her doing a large set of pull-ups on his bar. It's been a few days since the full moon and he was concerned for her health, mentally and physically.   
        "Stop." Derek calls out to her. "You're not done healing."  
        "Yeah? Well, I'm done lying around." Cora responds, dropping down to her feet.  
        "Then sit." Derek responds.   
        "Are you gonna help me go after them?" Cora whips out at him as she goes down to start to do push-ups. Derek just takes a step towards her, arms crossed, and kicks one of her hands aside. Cora drops from her push-up and winces as she makes contact with the floor.   
        Derek starts to walk away from her but Cora runs after him and starts to attack him angrily. Derek easily blocked her punches and then grabbed her wrists, restraining her from doing anything else.   
        "Come on, fight back!" Cora grits out as Derek pushes her back. Derek remained silent, his usual scowl on his face. "I came back for this?"  
        Cora scoffs at Derek's unresponsiveness and turns her back on him.   
        "I can't believe I got my ass thrown in a vault for three months for you. All those rumors I heard. A powerful new Alpha, one of the Hale's, was building a pack." Cora tells him. "Do you know how long I waited to hear something like that? Do you have any idea how it felt to find out you were alive?"   
        "I'm sorry to disappoint you." Derek responds.   
        "Disappoint me?" Cora asks him. "That's what you think the reason is. Disappointing me is you mating with my best friend from high school and shooing her out! What the hell kind of reaction is that?"   
        "She's not who you think she is." Derek tells her.   
        "A hunter?" Cora responds. Derek looks at her in surprise.  
        "You knew?"   
        Cora just shrugs her shoulders and sighs.  
        "The night of the fire... mom... mom made sure I got out." Cora says, her throat constricting as she relieved these memories. "I didn't know who had survived and who had died. I just ran out of there, afraid of any remaining hunters that would come after me. I ran to the only person I trusted, Diana, and I found them packing their truck. I heard them trying to explain what we were. I saw the guns, smelled the wolfsbane, saw the tattooed cross on their backs. I knew... and then I ran like hell again."   
        "You knew and you still forgive her?"   
        "Derek, you didn't see Diana that night." Cora tells him. "She was as clueless as I was."   
        "How can you defend her?!" Derek exclaims. "After all she's done..."   
        "How can you _not_ defend her?" Cora asks in return. "She's your Mate, Der. She's the one you chose to spend the rest of your life with. There must have been a hell of a good reason for it. So why are you ignoring her?"   
        Derek remained silent. He turned away from Cora's stare and looked out of the window. He closes his eyes momentarily, remembering an old memory.   
  
 _After a long first day of school and the basketball practice after, in which his Coach had left him with a heavy task, proving that he could in fact lead a team, Derek had a lot of things in his mind. The new girl was one of those things and catching her scent in his home seemed to ease his mind. Derek had spent the whole day trying to forget the smell of vanilla and autumn breeze out of his mind so when he sensed it in his home, he couldn't help but relax.  
        "I've been to Florida, Minnesota, Nevada, Washington, New York, and Kentucky." he overhears her say. "And that's just the tip of the iceberg."  
        Derek makes his way into the kitchen and finds Cora and his mom watching the new girl with interest. The new girl was still going on about the places she's been but she stops when she notices that her audience had grown bigger. She turns to look at Derek, a small smile on her lips.   
        "Umm, hi..." she says slightly awkwardly.   
        "Hi..." Derek greets back, accidentally dropping the basketball in his hands, causing it to hit a nearby vase. Derek immediately lunges for the vase, making sure it doesn't fall and crack while the new girl stands up and stops the basketball with her foot. She picks it up and waits for Derek to stand up before offering it back to him.   
        "Smooth..." Cora comments with a snicker. Thalia was just smiling down at Derek with a questioning glance at him. Derek just smiled at her before taking the ball from the new girl.   
        "I'm Derek," he tells her.   
        "I know," she responds. "I ran into you this morning, literally."   
        "Right," Derek chuckles out. "Umm, what did you say your name was?"   
        "Didi." Cora pipes in, causing the new girl to groan. "That's what we have to call her from now on. She won't respond if you don't say it."   
        "Didi?" Derek asks confused.   
        "It's this awful nickname my brother gave me." Didi tells him before turning back to Cora. "I shouldn't have told you that."   
        "Well you did and now you'll have to live with the consequences." Cora says with a grin.   
        Didi shakes her head at her before smiling up at Derek. Before Derek could ask her what her real name was, Cora beat him for her attention.  
        "Come on Di," Cora tells her. "I haven't given you a tour of my house."   
        "Be careful!" Thalia calls out to Cora as she grabs Didi and runs out of the kitchen. Thalia just laughs at her young beta daughter before turning her attention to Derek.   
        "She's beautiful, smart, and funny." Thalia tells him.   
        "Ok?" Derek says, trying to brush his mother's attention off him.   
        "You like her." she states.   
        "No, I don't." Derek responds as quickly.   
        "Oh really?" Thalia asks him as she hands him his dinner. "So the whole dropping the ball, literally, was normal for you? My beta son who's been in varsity basketball since he was a freshman in high school."   
        "I can't like her..." Derek says sadly, looking down at his hands. "Not after..."   
        Thalia grabs a hold of his hand and forces his gaze back on her.           
        "You will love again, Derek." she tells him. "And I think this girl is the one to prove that to you."   
        "How would you know?" Derek asks her, interested as to the all wisdom of his Alpha mother.   
        "Because her name is a sign to us all." Thalia tells him. "Her name means moon." _

        An alarm is what snaps Derek out of his mind. The lights start to flash around the loft, a siren deafening his ears. Derek turns around and finds Cora looking around in confusion.   
        "What's that?" she asks.   
        "Trouble." Derek grits out.   
        The door of the loft slides open, revealing the male Alpha from the hospital all wolfed out. He stares at both of them tauntingly and growls. Cora starts to run towards the Alpha and Derek couldn't stop her.   
        "No, wait." Derek exclaims. "Cora, wait!"   
        But it was too late, Cora was just a beta facing a very old Alpha. She had the disadvantages of being weak due to the past 3 months while Ennis had a lifetime of experience. He grabs Cora by the throat with one hand and slams her down on the concrete floor. Ennis then looks up and growls at Derek.   
        "Ready for a rematch?"   
        Before Derek could take Ennis up on that, the she-wolf Kali makes her way in. She growls at him to attack and Derek goes after her instead. Kali quickly uses the talons on her feet to keep Derek at a distance. Derek seeing this, easily grabs her kicking leg and throws her. Kali spins in the air and manages to land on her feet, something that Derek wasn't expecting.   
        Derek finds no other choice but to wolf out. Derek growls out at Kali and she responds with a growl of her own. Before they could go into a clawing match, Kali takes notice of the pipeline before her. She quickly breaks it and starts to spin it around in her hand. Using the steel pipe, Kali slams Derek's jaw and then hits his back, causing Derek to drop to the ground. Kali doesn't allow Derek to recover and spins the pipe in her hands skillfully before plunging it into his through his back and abdomen.   
        A loud gasp is heard in the room and a body drops, but not Derek's or Cora's, [it was Diana](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=208609755). She attempts to get up, her mouth letting out groans and gasps of air, but ever time she tried to push herself up, she would fall in pain. Deucalion could hear her struggle at his feet and with mercy, grabs her by the neck and forces her to stand up by his side.   
        "Everybody done?" Deucalion asks them. "Cause just listening to that was exhausting. So... Let's chat."  
        Derek was having his own troubles breathing but the little that he could was filled with the scent of vanilla and autumn breeze. Diana was gasping just a feet away from him. Deucalion had her sprawled on her back, right next to him, as he crouched down to speak to Derek directly. Deucalion didn't need his sight to know that Derek was focusing on the she-wolf at his feet.   
        "Found your lovely she-wolf outside the building." Deucalion explains to him. "I thought I should bring her in to this conversation that pertains to her too."   
        Diana just groans at this, gasping as blood seem to spill out of her mouth.   
        "Sorry about this, Derek. I asked Kali to be gentle, but..."   
        "... this is me being gentle." Kali responds.   
        Derek groans at this as he feels his blood drip down to the pipe and floor below him.   
        "Let... let her go." Derek groans out.  
        Deucalion nods at Ennis and Cora is let go from her pinned position on the floor. Cora starts to run towards her brother but Derek shakes her head at her.  
        "No..." he pleads. Cora stops in her tracks, concern etched all over her face.  
        "See?" Deucalion asks Derek as he soothed Diana's hair in attempts to calm her. "We're not unreasonable."  
        "What did you do to her?" Derek groans out, motioning to the gasping Diana on the floor.  
        "The real question is what  _you're_ doing to her?" Deucalion responds. "Either your Mate link is very strong or very distant. Which one is it?"   
        Derek pants in pain and ignores his question, the answer was obvious, but he refused to say it out loud.   
        "What do you want?" Derek groans out. "You want to kill me?"  
        "You really think I'm that boring?" Deucalion asks him. "Don't throw me in with sociopaths like your Uncle. I'm a man with far more vision than simple murder. In fact... I'm here to show you just how much vision a blind man can have."   
        Deucalion takes off the glasses on his face and reveals the burning red behind. Diana and Derek's gasps in pain synchronize as they catch sight of the burning embers that were demanding them to recede under his command. 

*************

Third POV, _Beacon Hills_ _Animal Clinic_  
  
        The door rings with Stiles' entrance. Deaton walks to the front and is surprised when he sees Stiles walking in. He had an idea as to what he was doing here for but was going to allow the kid to explain it to him. A tactic he's used so many times on the younger generation. Besides, he liked the air of ambiguity that he was known for.   
        "You're out of school early." Deaton comments.   
        "Yeah, free period, actually." Stiles answers. "Um, I was just headed home to see my dad. He's, uh... you know, I guess you probably heard people are kind of getting murdered again. It's his job to figure it out."  
        "I gathered as much from the _sheriff_ title." Deaton responds sarcastically.   
        "Yeah, um... You know, but it gets kind of hard for him to do his job when he doesn't have all the information." Stiles explains to Deaton. "And we all know he's missing pretty much half the story here, right? So then I started thinking, and I remembered someone who does have a lot of information. Someone who always seems to know more than anyone else around here. _You._ "  
        Deaton doesn't respond to this allegation and just makes his way to the back. Stiles is quick to follow, relaying information that he's found in his days of research.   
        "All these symbols and things... the triskeles, the bank logo, the Mountain ash... all of it is from the Celtic druids." Stiles tells Deaton. "And anyone who has ever looked up human sacrifice before knows that the druids had a pretty big hard-on when it came to giving one up to the gods. You ever hear of the lindow man? 2,000-year-old body found in England? He was found strangled, head bashed in, throat cut. Threefold death. They also found pollen grains in his stomach. Guess what favorite druid plant that was."  
        Deaton pulls out a flask, opens it, and takes out a small branch.   
        "Mistletoe." Deaton responds before setting it on the table.  
        "I'm just telling you everything you already know, aren't I?" Stiles asks him. Deaton responds in silence which was answer enough for Stiles. "Then why aren't you telling us?"   
        "Maybe because we've spent every moment of the last ten years trying to push something away. Denying it. Lying about it. Becomes a pretty powerful habit."  
        "All right, so this guy... is he a druid?" Stiles asks him.  
        "No. It's someone copying a centuries-old practice of a people who should have known better." Deaton explains to him. "Do you know what the word "druid" means in Gaelic?"  
        "No." Stiles answers.  
        " _Wise oak._ " Deaton tells him. "The Celtic druids were close to nature. They believed they kept it in balance. They were philosophers and scholars. They weren't serial killers."  
        "Yeah, well, this one is." Stiles states. Before he could say more, his phone starts to ring. He finds that it's Lydia that's calling him and answers it.   
        "Hey, I can't talk right now. Wait, what? Yeah, are you sure he's missing?"  
        " _Not just missing._ " Lydia responds from her place in the music room. " _Taken._ "  
        Stiles gave a brief explanation to Deaton about Lydia's findings. Apparently the music teacher didn't show in class and Lydia had found blood and a strange recording of chanting on the piano. Deaton inspects the recording, hearing distinctly the chanting, and turns to Lydia.   
        "Can we get a copy of this?"   
        Lydia nods and takes the phone in her hands before sending them the file.   
        "Hey, doc, any help would be, you know, helpful." Stiles mumbles as he looks through the teacher's desk for any clues.  
        "Each grouping of three would have its own purpose, its own type of power." Deaton explains to them. "Virgins, healers, philosophers, warriors... "  
        "Wait, wait, wait, wait... Warrior, could that also be like a soldier?" Stiles asks him.  
        "Absolutely."  
        Stiles pulls up a picture of the music teacher being married in his navy uniform.  
        "Kyle was in R.O.T.C. with Boyd." Stiles tells them. "That's got to be it. That's the pattern."  
        "Where's Boyd?" Deaton asks him.   
        "He's probably home by now." Stiles answers. "I'm gonna try and get him on the phone."  
        "Lydia?" Deaton asks noticing the young girl's unusual silence. "Something wrong?"  
        "No, it was... I mean... I just thought of someone else with a military connection." Lydia tells him.   
        "Who?" Stiles asks them.   
        "Mr. Adrian Harris." Lydia responds. "Our chemistry teacher."   
        Deaton, Stiles, and Lydia run out of the music room and make their way to the chemistry lab in hopes of saving an innocent life from the harshness of human sacrifice. They reach the room only to find it empty. Stiles quickly starts to scan the room for clues while Deaton inspects it slowly. He grabs the plate on Mr. Harris' desk that held the cadet code of conduct.   
        "This is just one of many possibilities." Deaton states, trying to assure them that their teacher's disappearance was coincidental. "He could have simply left for the day."  
        "Yeah, well... Not without this." Stiles says as he pulls up Mr. Harris laptop bag. Stiles continues in his search and Deaton takes notice when he stops.  
        "What?" Deaton asks him.  
        "This test is graded _R_." Stiles tells him.  
        "This one's an _H_." Lydia says holding up another test.  
        Deaton grabs both of the papers from them and starts to scour the whole desk. Stiles and Lydia stare at him curiously as he scatters the papers around.   
        "Stiles, you remember I told you "druid" is the Gaelic word for _wise oak_?" Deaton asks him.  
        "Yeah." Stiles mumbles.   
        "If a druid went down the wrong path, the wise oak was sometimes said to have become a _dark oak_." Deaton explains to him. "There's a Gaelic word for that as well... _Darach_."         
        Deaton steps away from the desk and reveals the test in a diagonal order. Each test held a letter and when put together it revealed a single word.   
          _Darach._

*************

Diana's POV,  _Derek's Loft_  
  
        I could feel the gaping hole in my chest, could taste the blood in my mouth, could sense my body trying to heal something that isn't there. I gasped for air because the pain was too much for my lungs to handle. My heart was beating slower and slower by the minute and it wasn't my choice. I was dying, not because there was a wound in my chest, but because Derek did.  
        Our Mate bond was killing us both. Not because our souls were so intertwined that our wounds matched but because we were so distant, so out of tune with each other, that the bond was doing a desperate plea to make us synchronize again. Derek's hate for me, the distance and rift caused by my secrets, were killing us both.   
        "You're killing them!" Cora exclaims.  
        "Not yet, little sister." Kali taunts, still holding the pipe in Derek's chest. "But I could."  
        I begin to cough up blood and shift to my side so I wouldn't choke to death.   
        "Who knows if it's five minutes or five hours before it's too late to take this thing out?" Kali continues. "But just to be on the safe side, Duke, you might want to get to the point."   
        "Now you see the one problem with being in an Alpha pack. Everybody wants to make the decisions." Deucalion states. "Me? I'm more about discovering new talents... Like you two."  
        "Go to hell." I say as the same time as Derek says. "Not interested."   
        Deucalion chuckles at this before taking a seat on the nearby couch.   
        "But you haven't even heard my pitch."  
        "You want us to... Kill our own pack." Derek gasps out.  
        "No, I want you to kill one of them." Deucalion tells us. "Either you or Diana has to do the deed. Do that, and I won't have to ask you to kill the others. You'll do it on your own. Diana, it'll be easy for you. You've spent your life killing werewolves."   
        "You don't know how I spent my life," I spit out.   
        "True... but I've heard enough stories." Deucalion states. "Come on, how hard can it be? I did it. Ennis did. Kali did. Tell them what it's like, Kali, to kill one of your own."   
        "Mm... Liberating."  
        "Listen to me," Deucalion orders. "Do you really want to stay beholden to a couple of maladjusted teenagers bound to become a liability? And believe me, they will become a liability. In fact... I have a feeling one of them is getting himself into trouble right now."   
        "If they hurt Isaac in any way, I'll tear those twins apart." I grit out.   
        Deucalion chuckles darkly again.   
        "I'm sure you can, Diana." Deucalion responds. "Not only are you greatly talented but you're so incredibly beautiful."  
        "How can you know that?" I ask him. "You're blind."  
        "Like I said, dear. I've heard stories about you." Deucalion tells me. "Besides, you were such a very pretty teenager and from what I recall your resemblance to your mother was impeccable."   
        His statement caused me to fear of what he knew. Caused me to fear of what he knew of my mother that I didn't. They were still stories that I like to keep in the dark. Stories that brought to much pain for me to remember.   
        "I'm not surprised that you Mated so quick, Diana." Deucalion continues, grabbing my arm and dragging me to sit back on the couch. I grimace in pain as he did this. "What I'm surprised is that you Mated with a Hale."  
        "Are you saying I could have done better?" I cough out.   
        "Much better..." Deucalion responds. "You could have Mated with the Alpha of Alphas."   
        "What would the Alpha of all Alphas want with little old me?" I ask him as I shivered.  
        Deucalion pauses for a bit before returning his attention to the room.   
        "Your ability to become a wolf is a rare talent." Deucalion answers. "But you being mated with Derek, well... at least he's an Alpha. Having a Hale in the pack would be another good addition."  
        "Why do you have to focus on us?" Derek asks. "There are other packs you can infiltrate."   
        "See, the reason I'm always invested in new talent is simple. We all know a pack is strongest due to its individual parts. The stronger the individual parts, the greater the whole." Deucalion explains to us. "When I lost my sight, one of my betas assumed I wasn't fit for my role anymore. He tried to take it from me. Killing him taught me something about Alphas I didn't know they could do. His power was added to mine."   
        Deucalion's voice seems to drop an octave deeper as he retold this story.   
        "I became stronger, faster, more powerful than I'd ever been. I tested this new ability to subsume the power of your own by killing another one. In fact, Derek and Diana, I killed them all." Deucalion confesses to us. "I took the individual parts and became a greater individual whole."  
        Deucalion drops down to one knee and pulls Derek's head back by his hair. He then proceeds to touch his face slowly.   
        "You're right, Kali. He looks like his mother." Deucalion comments before letting him go, Derek's head dropping fast. "You'll get to know me, Derek. Like she did."  
        "I know you." Derek responds with a grunt. "I know what you are. You're a fanatic."  
        "Know me?" Deucalion asks skeptically, standing up once more. "You've never seen anything like me. I am the Alpha of Alphas. I am the apex of apex predators! I am death, destroyer of worlds!" His voice drops deeper and becomes more menacing, vibrating throughout the room. "I am the demon-wolf!"  
        Kali releases the pipe from Derek and I'm able to breathe properly for the first time. I drop down from the couch and push through the pain to make my way towards Derek. He was on his side, coughing out blood, as his body quickly started to heal.  
        "Hate it when that happens," Deucalion comments as he picks at his cracked glasses. The pipe is dropped and the sound echoes around the room. Kali and Ennis wait for Deucalion to lead them out and they are gone by the time I look up.

*************

Third POV,  _Derek's Loft_  
  
        Night had fallen quicker than expected and the thunderstorm outside didn't let up. After a long and painful afternoon, it only took one quick sharp comment towards Diana to force her to leave. Cora would have given him the cold shoulder for that if it wasn't for what he endured today. It took hours of contemplation that led Derek to this conclusion. With Deucalion looming over him with this request, it was better off for him to be alone.   
        "Ah... I don't get it." Isaac responds. "Look, did something happen?"  
        "It's just not gonna work with both of you here." Derek responds. "I've got Cora now. It's too much. I need you out tonight."  
        Isaac scoffs at this.   
        "Where am I supposed to go?" he asks him.  
        "Somewhere else." Derek responds.  
        "Did I do something wrong, Derek?"  
        "Yes, you are." Derek answers. "You've been doing everything wrong ever since you came to live here with me. I know the only reason you stayed was because Diana asked you to. I'm done being watched over."  
        "Come on, Derek." Isaac starts to plead. "You know it's not like that..."   
        "Just get out." Derek growls out at him.  
        "Derek, please."  
        "Get out."  
        "Come on." Isaac pleads once more.   
        Derek used the only ploy he knew would get him to leave, an act of violence. He throws the glass in his hands at Isaac's head. Isaac manages to duck under it, but he flinches in doing so, bad memories resurfacing as he didi this.   
        "Go!" Derek shouts.  
        Isaac didn't need to be told twice and just glares at him before grabbing his bag and walking out of the loft. Cora had been hidden in the shadows as all of this went down and she couldn't help but feel guilty. All Derek was doing was protecting him, but the way he was doing it was all wrong.   
        Isaac didn't know where his feet were leading him. Part of him just let his mind wander, letting his unconscious self make the decision. Though in his mind he already knew where he would go to. He always knew of one person that he could always count on. He knocks on the door timidly, hoping he won't be turned out again. The door open and reveals a freshly showered Diana wearing an oversized t-shirt, one that Isaac recognized as Derek's.   
        "Isaac," Diana says surprised. "What are... What are you doing here?"   
        "I was wondering if I could ask you a favor." Isaac responds.   
        Realization hits Diana as she takes notice of the packed bag in his hands and the sadness washing over his eyes. She smiled down at Isaac and stepped aside, letting him in.   
        "You're dripping wet my little pup," Diana says lightly. "Come inside, I'll start making you a bed."


	5. On the Brink

**Author's Note:  
        Most of this, actually all of this, is going to be on the third POV for the reason that you will notice as you read this update. I hope you enjoy this!  
Sincerely,  
        Amanda Preston**

* * *

The bus reeked of sweat and too many teenage pheromones. All of them were forced into this day's long drive to some track meet that they weren't up for. After what just happened, none of them could believe why Diana would instruct this of them. Not in the state that she was in, physically or emotionally. They were all in their own separate seats, but from what Scott could see, Diana was seated alone in her own seat, barely conscious.  
        "Back to your seat." Coach Finstock shouts at a sophomore before blowing his whistle. All of them flinch at the sound but say nothing.  
        Isaac was seated next to Boyd near the front of the bus. They were a few rows ahead of Ethan and Boyd couldn't even bear that small distance. His hands were clutching tightly on the leather seat before them and Isaac took notice of this.   
        "Stop thinking about it, man." Isaac tells him.   
        "Like, you're not thinking about it too?" Boyd grits out at him.   
        "Well, stop thinking about it." Isaac repeats to him.  
        "I can't." Boyd replies.   
        "Well, there's nothing you can do about it either." Isaac reminds him.   
        "You sure about that?" Boyd asks him, as he glances over at Ethan who was checking his phone.   
        "Diana wouldn't want this from us." Isaac tells him.   
        "Well she's not conscious enough to stop me, is she?" Boyd replies.   
        Isaac sighs as he hears this, his eyes moving to the seat ahead of them, one that contained a barely awake Diana. She grimaces with every bump the bus hits, her teeth clenched tightly together in pain, her eyes shut closed.   
         ** _She's crawling.  
        She and Scott are scrambling to the edge. Screams and growls echoing around the room. Her heart is in her throat as she and Scott reach the ledge and look down. All she sees is..._**  
There's another bump in the road and Diana groans. Coach Finstock turns around in his seat and looks at her.   
        "Something wrong with you?" Coach asks her. "Don't tell me you get car sick too?"   
        "I'm fine." Diana growls out at him. Not daring to even open her eyes to look at him.   
        "Are you pms-ing?" he asks her.  
        "I will rip your throat out with my teeth." Diana threatens him. She had to restrain herself from wolfing out in the tightly compacted bus. Coach Finstock glares at her and mutters incoherent ramblings about female coaches and their ever changing moods.  
        Diana ignores it as she feels unhealed wounds in her body. The need to cry was pushed down. Diana felt like she was pushed into the deepest part of the pool and she was barely keeping her head over water. She closes her eyes again and tries to forget any kind of human emotion.   
        "Yo, Scotty. Hey, yo, Scotty?" Stiles asks, snapping his fingers at a distracted Scott. "Still with me?"   
        "Yeah, sorry." Scott says turning to look at Stiles. "Uh, what's the word?"   
        "Anachronism."  
        "Something that exists out of its normal time." Scott defines.   
        "Nice." Stiles tells him before moving to the next word. "Okay, next word... incongruous."  
        "Um, can you use it in a sentence?" Scott asks him, trying to hold back the pain on his side.  
        "Yes. Yes, I can. It's completely _incongruous_ that we're sitting on a bus right now, on our way to some stupid cross-country meet after what just happened... incongruous."   
        "Out of place, ridiculous, absurd." Scott defines, ignoring Stiles' sarcastic remark.  
        "Perfect." Stiles scoffs out, annoyed at Scott's ignorance. "Okay, next word. Um, _Darach._ _Darach_ , it's a noun."  
        Scott sighs as he hears this, but doesn't say anything. Stiles once again becomes annoyed by his best friends reaction.  
        "We have to talk about it sometime, okay? And we're gonna be stuck in this thing for, like, five hours, so why not?" Stiles asks him, but Scott just looks out the window. Stiles just sighs and looks down at the iPad. "Next word... Intransigent."  
        "Stubborn, obstinate." Scott answers before the bus hits another bump and Scott couldn't help but let out a hiss of pain.   
        "Oh, buddy, you okay?" Stiles asks him. Scott just breathes heavily and Stiles has finally had enough. "We shouldn't have come. I knew it. We shouldn't have come."  
        "We had to." Scott tells him. "There's safety in numbers."   
        "Yeah, well, there's also death in numbers, okay? It's called a massacre... or bloodbath, carnage, slaughter, butchery, wow, that's..." Scott groans in pain and Stiles shakes his head. "All right, Scott, I'm telling Coach that..."   
        "No, no, no. I'm all right." Scott tells him.   
        "Well, you don't look all right," Stiles tells him. "Neither does Diana. I don't get what we're doing here."  
        "Diana said we had to continue with our normal lives," Scott explains to him. He grimaces once more and Stiles is getting quickly annoyed by Scott's excuses.   
        "Would you just let me see it?" Stiles asks him.  
        "I'm okay." Scott assures him.   
        "Just let me see it, okay?" Stiles asks him again. Knowing that he wouldn't give this up, Scott nods at Stiles' request and raises his shirt. The deep lacerations on his side were still bleeding profusely and showed no signs of healing. "Oh, dude..."   
        "I know it's bad, but it's because they're from an Alpha." Scott explains to him. "It'll take longer to heal."   
        "How come Boyd and Isaac are fine then?" Stiles asks him. "And don't even get me started with what's wrong with Diana. I can see her clinging barely to life over there but she won't do anything about it."  
        Scott doesn't attempt to answer Stiles' question and instead leans his head against the window.  
        "I can't believe he's dead." Scott whispers. "I can't believe Derek's dead." 

**************

         _"I know where they are." Scott says, referring to the Alpha pack as he enters Derek's loft. He had went over to see Allison, to warn her to stay away from the Alpha pack, and had seen Kali swinging a set of keys. Scott had come to Derek to warn him, expecting Derek to be alone but there seemed to be a pack meeting being held with a few missing members. Derek looks up from the map to look at Scott, not entirely surprised at his presence.  
        "Same building as the Argents, we know." Derek tells him.   
        "Cora and I followed the twins." Boyd tells Scott.   
        "_ _Then they want you to know." Scott states._  
 _"Or, more likely, they don't care." Diana says as she enters the room. Her hair was in soft curls, a few strands pinned up to show more of her face. Her black heels, which matched the[tight purple dress ](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=209761325)she had on, clicked on the floor as she made her way to the table. Diana set her clutch bag down and looked up. Everyone was staring directly at her. "What?"  
        "Where have you been?" Peter asks with a knowing grin.   
        "Deucalion wanted to go out and for a drink," Diana answers. "I thought it best to go."   
        "Sleeping with the enemy," Derek mutters under his breath as he cracks his neck. "That shouldn't surprise me."   
        Everyone could clearly see that she was upset about Derek's commentary, her hold on the table was tighter than before.  
        "He asked me to meet him at a bar near the Argent's apartment building," Diana answers, ignoring the jab and looking down at the table. "We talked and he didn't bother to hide that he lived there. He doesn't care."  
        Scott knew better than to question her about the outing with Deucalion and decides to change the subject. He was still confused to the meeting he has walked into and he takes notice of the maps on the table.   
        "What is all of this?" _  
 _"I_ _sn't it obvious?" Peter asks him. "The schemers are scheming, coming up with a coup de main, better known as a pre-emptive strike."_  
 _"_ _You're going after them?" Scott asks surprised._  
 _"_ _Tomorrow." Derek answers as he stares at Scott. "And you're gonna help us."_  


**************

  
___**Bodies are being thrown around like rag dolls. Boyd attacks Ennis but is knocked down by him. Derek is struggling with Kali as Diana attempts to make her way to Deucalion. Scott scrambles to his feet, unsure of who to help first. Cora is being clawed at her back, her howls fill the room. Scott lets out a growl pass through his teeth before lunging forward.**  
         _The whistle blows again and Scott is pulled out of his trance. Coach is shouting at Jared again and Scott returns to closing his eyes.   
        "Jared, again, car sick?" Coach exclaims. "Every time... how do you even get on the bus? Look at me. No, don't look at me. Look at the horizon. Keep your eyes... keep your eyes on the horizon." Coach Finstock stands up and scans the bus. His eyes find Scott and his very pale features. "McCall, not you too."   
        "No, coach, I'm good." Scott tiredly responds before slumping back down in his seat.   
        "Hey, Scott, you're bleeding again." Stiles comments as he points at Scott's stained shirt. "And don't tell me that it's just taking longer to heal, okay? Because I'm pretty sure that still bleeding means not healing, like, at all."   
        "He's listening." Scott replies instead, nodding towards Ethan.   
        "Is he gonna do something?" Stiles asks him concerned.   
        "Not in front of this many people." Scott replies.  
        "Okay, well, what about the two ticking time bombs sitting right near him?" Stiles asks him, motioning to Isaac and Boyd.   
        "No, they won't. Not here." Scott tells him. "Not with Diana right there in front of them."   
        "Well in case you haven't noticed, Diana's out of commission." Stiles grits out. "She's barely awake! How do I know that? you ask. Well because I can barely see her chest moving up and down. Her Mate bond with Derek is causing her to die. In a school bus of all places."   
        "Stiles..." Scott calls out to him in order to cut his rambling short.   
        "Scott, what if Isaac and Boyd do something?" Stiles asks him. "Are you gonna stop them?"   
        "If I have to." Scott answers his head dropping back to the window. 

*************

  
          _"They're one floor above them in the penthouse, right above Allison." Derek explains to Scott as he points out the schematics of the apartment building.  
        "So kill them first, that's the plan?" Scott asks incredulously.   
        "They won't even see it coming." Boyd tells him.  
        "Why is the default plan always murder?" Scott exclaims. "Just once, can someone try to come up with something that doesn't involve killing everyone?"  
        "Care to get your beta in line?" Derek asks Diana.  
        "I mean... he's kinda right, Derek." Diana answers tiredly. "We always resort to violence and we almost get killed. Just remember what happened with Gerard..."  
        "Gerard was your fault," Derek answers. "Not mine."   
        Diana ignores the jab, her hold on the table lightning once more but her voice was still in a surprisingly calm level.  
        "But murder..."   
        "You hunted for werewolves for three years," Derek grits out. "I think you should be ok with killing one more."   
        "If you just let me explain to you..." Diana tries once more but Derek cuts her off with his glare. The tension was high in the room and no one dared break it, except for Scott.   
        "She's right, Derek." Scott pipes in. "Why do we always have to resort to violence?"  
        "You never get tired of being so blandly moral, do you?" Peter asks him. "Not that I disagree with him."  
        "I do." Cora exclaims. "Why do we need this kid?"   
        "This kid helped save your life." Derek answers before turning to Scott. "And you know we can't just sit back and wait for them to make the first move."  
        "You can't beat a pack of Alphas." Scott states.   
        "That's why we're going after Deucalion, **just him**." Cora tells Scott.  
        "Cut off the head of the snake and the body dies." Boyd comments.   
        "Only this isn't a snake, it's a **hydra**." Peter sneers. "And like Scott says, they're all Alphas."   
        "Deucalion's still the leader." Derek states.   
        "Let's hope so." Peter comments. "Because you know what happened when Hercules cut off one of the heads of the hydra?"  
        "Two more grew back in its place." Scott answers.   
        "Somebody's been doing their summer reading." Diana jokes, giving Scott a small smile. _  


**************

        The bus comes to a screeching stop, lined up after a long row of cars, causing everyone to fly forward in their seats. Isaac manages to catch Diana before she could tumble forward to the ground. She groans in pain but doesn't open her eyes. Isaac was worried at the sight of her. She looked deadly pale and she had no wounds to heal. Everything that was happening to her was the Mate bond's fault and she didn't seem like she was going to survive it.   
        "Diana looks really bad." Isaac tells Boyd as he checks Diana over his seat. He takes notice how slow her heart was beating. "We should probably tell Scott, maybe he'll know..."  
        Isaac turns to glance over at Boyd only to notice that he was breathing heavier than before and letting out a low growl.   
        "Boyd? Boyd?" Isaac calls out to him, but it was too late. Boyd was slowly changing beside him.   
        "What... what...Scott?" Stiles stammers out as he sees Scott get up from his seat without a reason why. "Where are you going?"  
        "Boyd." Scott answers. "He's gonna do something."  
        "Okay, what?" Stiles asks confused. "How do you know?"   
        "Look at his hands." Scott tells him as he slips out of the bus seat. Stiles snaps towards the front and realizes the claws extending from Boyd's hands and grasping onto the bus seat in from top him.

***************

         ** _Diana took on Ennis on her own. Her daggers had been lost during the fight but she was still capable of fighting hand to hand. She managed to keep enough control to not wolf out until Ennis took advantage of her open side and clawed through her skin. Diana lets out a scream of pain, her hands immediately dropping to cover the wound.  
        Claws extend from her hands and she's struggling to keep the she wolf at bay. In doing so, she starts shifting into her in between state, the one she has no complete control of. Scott knows this too well, and pushes through the wound on his side to try to help her. He's too late as Diana is already being pushed back by Derek himself. Derek shielding her from Ennis. Diana drops to the floor and tells him to go but Derek doesn't listen.   
        Derek and Ennis start to fight dangerously close to each other. Claws being thrown in every direction, growls echoing off the concrete walls, Alpha against Alpha and neither wanted to be the inferior one. They're approaching the ledge, too dangerously close to it.   
        Diana calls out to Derek, having a sick feeling in her gut, knowing that something bad was about to happen. It was too late though...  
        All she sees is Derek's red eyes boring deeply into her soul. Burning... leaving a scorched mark that will forever remain with her.  
        She's crawling.  
        She and Scott are scrambling to the edge. Screams and growls echoing around the room. Her heart is in her throat as she and Scott reach the ledge and look down. All she sees is his body laying motionless on the unused stairs.   
        She screams, more like a lone howl, filled with so much pain that everyone feels it in the room. Her broken sobs are the only sound now and everyone just stops. _**  


***************

        Scott could barely make his way down the aisle of the bus. The deep cut on his side was enough to make him stop but he pushes forward. The blood loss was causing him to stumble slightly. His eyesight was wavering and Scott was very aware of everything around him.   
        " _I don't know what else to do."_  
Scott continues to push through. His hands weighing heavily on each seat, the only thing keeping him upright at the moment.   
        " _Do I keep trying to get them to listen to me?"_  
He notices the threatening glare Boyd is shooting at Ethan and the claws craving to draw blood.   
        " _Do I tell Derek that he's gonna get them all killed?"_  
Scott catches a sight of the very pale Diana, who's arms are wrapped tightly against her frame. She had her eyes closed, causing her to not notice what Boyd is about to do.  
        " _How do you save someone who doesn't wanna be saved?"_  
Scott closes his eyes, falling deep into his own mind.   
        " _How do I stop them?" he asks._  
 _"_ _Don't stop them." Deaton tells him. "_ _Lead them."_  
Scott opens his eyes and catches a sight of Boyd's claws. Immediately, Scott's hand latches onto them, preventing Boyd from moving.   
        "Let go." Boyd growls.   
        "You got a plan?" Scott asks him. "Tell me your brilliant plan, and I'll let go. What are you gonna do? Kill him, right here? And then what? What are you gonna do after that?"   
        "I don't care." Boyd answers attempting to lunge after Ethan but Isaac and Scott keep him in place.   
        " _I do._ " Scott replies. Boyd hearing this, steps down. He takes a deep breath and his hand returns to normal, claw-free. Diana whimpers in her seat, eyes opening momentarily searching blind into empty air, before closing them again.   
        "She's been passed out this whole ride," Isaac tells Scott. "I don't know what to do."   
        Scott swallows the hiss of pain wanting to escape his mouth and takes a seat beside Diana. He grabs onto her arm and starts to transfer the pain she was feeling to himself. He can feel the tremendous waves of pain. The pain one feels when they are so close to death, but that isn't it. Scott could feel the emotional turmoil happening within her. The emotional pain she was suffering. He continues to drain the pain away until her breathing starts to happen rapidly and she snaps awake.   
        "Stop it," she whispers tugging her arm away from Scott. "Stop..."   
        Scott had no other choice but to let go. Diana sighs and starts shivering. Her head leans back to the window and her eyes closes.   
        "Is she...?" Isaac starts to ask but Scott shakes his head.  
        "It's too much pain," Scott tells him as he stands up to head back to his seat. Isaac glances down and notices the huge blood stain on Scott's shirt.   
        "You're still hurt." Isaac points out.   
        "I'm fine." Scott grits out before turning away and returning to his seat.  
        Stiles stands up and lets Scott take his seat again.   
        "Crisis averted?" Stiles asks him.   
        "Mm-hmn," Scott hums out, slumping down to his seat.   
        "Okay, good. Cause we got another problem." Stiles tells him. "Ethan keeps checking his phone, like, every five minutes. It's like he's waiting for something, you know, like, a message or a signal of some kind. I don't know, something evil though, I can tell. I have a very perceptive eye for evil, but you know that."  
        "I don't like him sitting with Danny." Scott comments.   
        "Yeah, neither do I." Stiles mutters as he quickly pulls out his phone. "I'm gonna see what he's waiting for."  
        Stiles starts to type a text and Scott looks at him confused.   
        "What are you doing?"  
        "I'm gonna ask." Stiles answers.   
        Stiles could hear as Danny got the message. Danny read the text, seeing that Stiles was asking him to figure out what Ethan was looking at his phone for, and Danny replied with no. Stiles refused to take no as an answer and decides to bombard Danny with texts. He heard every single one of them come through and finally Danny sends a response.   
         _Someone close to him is sick. Might not make it through the night.  
        _"Ennis?" Scott asks as he reads over the message.           
        "Okay, so does that mean, uh..." Stiles mumbles.   
        "If Ennis survived, barely at least, that means there's a chance Derek did too." Scott puts together. "That means Diana might pull through."   
        "Or she might not." Stiles states as he takes notice of the shivering Diana. "What do we... What do we do Scott?"  
        It was evident in Stiles' voice how worried he was. Scott felt the same, especially since he knew what kind of turmoil she was in. Diana was blaming herself for Derek's death, and Scott was too, though he didn't know it. Scott looked to the front of the bus, unsure of what to do.  
        "I don't know, Stiles." Scott answers. "I don't know." 

**************

        A loud whistle blows echoes in the small compacted bus. Diana shivers as she hears this and groans in pain. Isaac looks at her in concern and decides to take the seat next to her. He helps her sit up and looks at Boyd in concern. There was not much they could do as Diana just barely clung to life. The concerned look on Isaac and Boyd's face could clearly be seen by Scott and Stiles. They had to do something... anything.  
        "Jared, I'm warning you. I'm an empathetic vomiter." Coach Finstock states. "You throw up, I'm gonna throw up right back on you. And it will be profoundly disgusting."  
        "Please don't talk about throwing up. It's not good." Jared groans out as he clutches tightly at his stomach.  
        "I might throw up on you just to make a point, Jared." Coach continues.   
        "It's not good." Jared says with a shake of his head. "It's not good."   
        "Now the rest of you, don't think we're gonna miss this meet because of a _slight traffic jam_ , _a minor tornado warning_ , _Jared_." Coach Finstock exclaims to the the whole cross country team. "We're gonna make this thing. Nothing is gonna stop us! Stilinski, put your hand down."  
        "You know, there's, like, a food exit about a half a mile up. I don't know if we stop and then maybe..."   
        "We're not gonna stop." Coach states.   
        "Okay, but if we stop..." Stiles continues.   
        "Stilinski!" Coach shouts before blowing his whistle causing Diana to groan in pain. "Shut it! Seriously! It's a little bus! Stop asking me questions!"   
        "I hate him." Stiles states before turning to Scott. "Did you call Deaton?"  
        "I keep getting his voice mail." Scott tells him.   
        "That's it. I'm calling Lydia and Allison." Stiles replies pulling out his phone.   
        "How are they gonna help, back in Beacon Hills?" Scott groans out confused.   
        "They're not. They've been following us for hours." Stiles says dialing up Lydia's number, taking a glance at Allison's car that was a few cars down. " _Pathetic."  
        _" _Hey, Stiles. Yeah, we're just about to walk into a movie, uh, you know, the popcorn and..."_ Lydia attempts to lie but Stiles quickly cuts her off.   
        "I know you guys are right behind us. Put me on speaker."  
        " _Okay."_ Lydia sighs out.   
        "Okay, look, Scott's still hurt." Stiles tells them.   
        " _What do you mean still?"_ Allison asks. " _He's not healing?_ "  
        "No, he's not healing. I think he's actually getting worse. The blood's turning, like, a black color." Stiles explains to her. "And that's not the worst of it, Diana... Diana is passed out. Whatever mystical Mate bond she did with Derek is killing her. I don't... I'm afraid she's not going to make it."   
        " _W... What's wrong with them?"_ Lydia asks him. " _Why aren't they healing?"_  
        "What's wrong with them? I don't... do I have a PhD in lycanthropy?" Stiles snarks back at her. "How am I supposed to know that?"   
        " _We need to get them off the bus."_ Allison tells him.   
        " _And take them where, a hospital?"_ Lydia asks sarcastically.   
        " _If they're dying, yeah._ " Allison tells her. " _Stiles, there's a rest area about a mile up. Tell Diana to pull over."  
        _"As I told you before, Diana is passed out, Coach is taking the lead on this and he's not pulling over." Stiles tells her. "I've already tried convincing him that."   
        " _Well, reason with him."_ Allison argues.  
        "Reason?" Stiles exclaims. "Have you met this guy?"   
        " _Just try something."_ Allison replies before hanging up.   
        Stiles sighs and looks over at Scott who's not looking any better. In fact, he looks worse. Stiles then glances over at Diana who's looking the same fifty shades of death. Having no other choice, Stiles rises from his seat and confronts Coach.   
        "Coach, it's five minutes for a bathroom break, okay? We've been on this thing for, like, three hours..."  
        _Loud whistle is blown._  
        "It's 60 miles to the next rest stop..."  
        _Whistle._  
        "Being cooped up for hours is not good..."  
        _Shrilling loud whistle._  
        "You know, our bladders aren't exactly..."  
        _Whistle._  
        "Coach," _whistle_. "This is..." _whistle_. "Can you..." _whistle_. "Please..." _whistle._ "Let me talk!" _whistle_. "I'm... Every time..."   
        This time the loud shrilling whistle is paired with a dark chuckle from Couch. Stiles is almost ready to punch him as Coach finally stops.   
        "Get back to your seat, Stilinski!" Coach shouts.   
        "Okay!" Stiles shouts back. He turns around ready to head back to Scott before he hears something of use to him.   
        "And Jared, keep your eyes on the horizon." Coach tells a very car sick Jared.  
        Stiles turns around and plops down next to Jared.   
        "Hey, Jared." Stiles says with a growing evil grin. "How you doing?"  
        It didn't take long for the bus to drive to a stop. Only a few nasty stories of frog dissection in Biology and the contents of week expired groceries from the Stilinski fridge was enough to make Jared just puke all over the bus. Everyone scrambled to get out of the putrid smelling bus. Isaac and Boyd quickly helped carry Diana out of the bus while Stiles and Allison took Scott out.   
        Battling to remain conscious, Scott turns to Isaac and Boyd.   
        "Keep taking away her pain," Scott tells them tiredly. "It should... should help her..."   
        Scott couldn't even finish his sentence and Stiles and Allison immediately started to lead him towards an empty bathroom.   
        Isaac and Boyd didn't hesitate on Scott's demand and start to take turns in taking the vast amounts of pain that Diana was feeling. She starts to struggle against them, pushing Boyd and Isaac away from her but they kept their hold strong.   
        "Stop it," Diana groans out as she weakly tries to push them away. "Stop that..."   
        "We're not letting you die here, Diana." Isaac replies. "Not you too."   
        "He's dead," Diana whimpers, not listening to a word that Isaac said to her. "Derek's dead because of me."   
        Tears start to form in her eyes and she continues to push Isaac and Boyd's hand away from her arm. The dark veins that were appearing as they took away her pain was causing her more anguish. Boyd lets go as it became too much for him but Isaac continued to hold on to her.   
        "Everyone I love dies," she cries out. "They all die."  
        "Diana..." Isaac says worriedly as her eyes shut close and her breathing starts to slow down.  
        "My mother, the Hale family, Erica..." Diana says as she sobs. This was the first time Boyd was seeing her break down this way, unlike Isaac this was his second time. It was still strange seeing the strongest woman they know fall apart into pieces like this. "You're all going to die because of me... I can't do anything... anything..."   
        Her heart starts to beat too slow and Isaac is trying his best to take away as much as pain as he could but it becomes too much. He lets go and immediately starts to panic as Diana's eyes shut close.   
        "Diana..." he calls out to her worriedly. "Diana!"   
        She's falling into a deep abyss of darkness and she can barely hear Isaac's voice.   
        "Diana, please..." a faint whisper enters her mind. "Please, don't leave me alone." 

***************

         _Diana slips into her leather jacket, pocketing two daggers into the pockets and another into her boot. She pulls her hair up in a high pony tail and sighs. What Scott was planning to do was beyond dangerous yet she still agreed to help him. Sometimes she wondered why she was still trying to call the shots when it was clear that Scott knew more of what he was doing than she was. All of these thoughts were swirling in her mind distracting her enough to not notice the other presence in the room.  
        "Where are you going?"   
        "Jesus, Maria, Jose..." Diana mutters in Spanish under her breath, startled by Isaac's entrance. She glares at Isaac but that doesn't stop him from pointing to the keys in her hands. Diana looks down at the keys and then back at him. "Uh, I was gonna go get some food to eat. Don't feel like cooking tonight."   
        "Oh, cool. I'll come with you." Isaac answers as he grabs his coat.   
        "It's ok, Isaac. I can eat alone." Diana tells him as she walks to the door.  
        "Alone as in, alone?" Isaac asks her. "Or alone as in, alone with Deucalion?"   
        "Isaac..." Diana says slightly shameful, unaware that he knew what she had done.   
        "What are you getting?" Isaac asks. He knows whats going on but ignores the obvious situation, not particularly enjoying having Diana cornered.   
        "Umm, Mexican." Diana answers with a lie, confused with Isaac's casual attitude with her.   
        "You know I love Mexican..." Isaac replies as he slips on his coat. Diana walks past him, in a hurry to leave him behind. He didn't need to be a part of this.   
        "Isaac, I can eat alone, it's okay." _ _Diana says as she reaches for the door but Isaac grabs onto her arm and she turns to look at him.  
        "You're not going alone." Isaac tells her, and he looked at her with a promise. "We're technically family now, a pack, and you don't have to face things alone anymore."   
        Diana stared at him blankly. A memory of her brother flickered in her mind before it completely vanished. She couldn't help the small smile on her lips at Isaac's words.   
        "You're right," Diana tells him. "You're right."   
 **They drive to an abandoned mall. Diana drives her car through an entrance and stops. She steps out of the car and starts to make her way through. Isaac followed closely behind her and they met up with Scott along the way.  
        "We're just gonna talk to him, try to reason with him." Scott tells them. "That's it, all right?"  
        Diana noticed Isaac sigh beside her.   
        "What?" she asks him.   
        "Nothing. It's just that, uh, I'm actually kind of hungry now." Isaac tells her.   
        "I'll make you something when we get back," Diana tells him. "I promise."   
        Scott was completely confused at the conversation but didn't question it. Instead he led them through the empty mall and stops as he sees Deucalion standing at the unused steps.   
        "You didn't come alone." Deucalion states.   
        "You knew I wasn't coming alone this time," Diana responds. "I called you and informed you that Scott wanted a meeting. The other beta here is Isaac; the one I adopted."   
        "I'm not talking about Isaac." Deucalion states.   
        Diana turned to Scott and Isaac confused but realizes the oncoming figure that was making his way there. Derek was in full werewolf mode, glaring not at her this time, but at Deucalion. Cora and Boyd were right behind him, standing in the shadows, wolfed out as well.   
        "You knew we would do this?" Scott asks him. Derek glances at him but continues to stalk towards Deucalion. "Derek, don't. You can't do this and no one gets hurt. If someone else dies..."   
        "Him." Derek cuts him off. "Just him."   
        "Just me?" Deucalion asks amused. "Now, how's a blind man find his way into a place like this all on his own?"  
        On cue, Kali comes **_ ** _sliding down a concrete column_ , _leaving claw marks from her feet as she descends to the floor_. _Ennis walks up the escalators from below and Aidan and Ethan are standing on a ledge one floor above them. They were surrounded and were heavily at a disadvantage._**  


*************  


        "Diana!"   
        She wakes up, barely, and looks around her in concern. Boyd is watching her with genuine relief. She looks around, taking notice of the sandy rest stop they've stopped in. She tries to stand up but is unable to. Boyd has to help her up and she heavily reclines on him.   
        "Where's Scott?" Diana asks Boyd in concern, remembering the heavily injured Beta. "Where's Stiles?"   
        Diana scans the group of kids populating the rest stop but can't find the people she's looking for.   
        "Where's Isaac?" Diana asks a panic settling into her chest. She scans unfamiliar faces and turns to Boyd in desperation. "Where's Isaac?!"  
        "He took of running when you stopped breathing," Boyd tells her. "I think... I know he was angry."   
        Diana knew what that meant. Isaac's anchor was family and that was primarily her. If he thought she had died, his anchor was gone. He had no control. It wasn't until the crowd of kids start running towards one direction that Diana's suspicions were confirmed. She starts to walk towards that direction, forcing Boyd to help her walk there. People are chanting and cheering, the smell of blood was so fresh in the air. Boyd helps Diana push through the crowd and she takes notice of Isaac constantly punching Ethan in the face. Blood was running down his mouth.  
        "Isaac, Isaac!" Diana shouts at him, trying to stop him from first degree murder. "Back off! Stop."   
        Her shouts were to no avail and Isaac continued to attack Ethan. Danny tries to pull him off Ethan but Isaac shoves him away. Coach tries to break them apart but that was useless too.   
        " _Isaac!"_  
        Scott breaks through the crowd and demands Isaac to stop. Isaac's fist stops in the air, he's breathing heavily, and shamefully raises his head to meet Scott's disappointed stare. He sighs and steps away from a barely conscious Ethan. There was something unsettling in the air. Diana could feel a slight tension between her and Scott that she was slowly comprehending. Her focus shifted elsewhere as she looked at Isaac.  
        "Isaac?" Diana whispers softly.   
        Isaac whipped his head towards her, relief washing over his body to see Diana standing and conscious. Boyd lets go of her as Isaac runs towards her and pulls her into an embrace. His head buried into her neck, trying to find consolidation and forgiveness. Diana merely brushed down his curls trying to reassure him that she wasn't mad, just relieved to see him ok. Diana pulls away and gently pats Isaac's cheek. He could tell that she wasn't as strong as she used to be. Sadness and pain were still evident in her eyes. 

**************

  
_**On cue, Kali comes**_ ** _sliding down a concrete column_ , _leaving claw marks from her feet as she descends to the floor_. _Ennis walks up the escalators from below and Aidan and Ethan are standing on a ledge one floor above them. They were surrounded and were heavily at a disadvantage.  
        Derek didn't care. All he saw was red and all he needed was to get to Deucalion and end this once and for all. One kill, and he would be freed from this looming threat. Derek lets out a growl and immediately starts to run towards Deucalion. Before he could even reach a step of the escalator, Kali lunges after him and kicks him away.   
        All hell breaks loose and the rest of the Alpha pack attacks. Ennis goes after Cora and Boyd, Ethan and Aider flip off the ledge and join into one as they hit the bottom floor. Isaac doesn't hesitate to wolf out and attack _** ** _the conjoined twins. Diana and Scott sigh as Isaac runs towards them. Diana takes out the Chinese daggers out of her pocket while Scott wolfs out. They both run towards the twins. Scott is quickly thrown against the wall while Diana is able to get in a few stabs in before being shoved down._**  
 _ **Bodies are being thrown around like rag dolls. Boyd attacks Ennis but is knocked down by him. Derek is struggling with Kali as Diana attempts to make her way to Deucalion. Scott scrambles to his feet, unsure of who to help. Cora is being clawed at her back, her howls fill the room. Scott lets out a growl pass through his teeth before lunging forward at the twins again.  
        **_ ** _Derek gains the upper hand with Kali. Kneeing her in the stomach and elbowing her in the face. Their loud growls resonate throughout the room. Ennis has thrown Boyd off him again and Cora is now struggling against him alone. Scott and Isaac are fighting against the twins together.  
        Diana stops going after Deucalion once she hears Cora's howl for help. She throws a dagger at Ennis' back causing him to growl in pain, but not enough to release Cora. She throws her other dagger and he still doesn't let her go. _** _ **It is until Diana slips the last dagger out of her boot and stabs it directly into Ennis' back that he finally throws Cora down.  
        It all happens to fast. No one can understand how they managed to be disarmed and shoved down so quick. Ennis swings at Diana, causing her to be thrown across the floor. Derek had lost his upper hand on Kali and was kicked out of the way. Boyd is clawed by Kali and pinned down by Ennis. Cora was still bleeding on the floor making it easy for Kali to keep a foot on her. Scott and Isaac were grabbed by the neck by the twins, unable to move.   
        Diana and Derek quickly jump to their feet but everything had become completely silent. There was nothing either could do. All of their betas were compromised and they were the only ones free.  
       "Kill him." Deucalion commands nodding towards the fallen Boyd. "The others can go."   
        Derek and Diana share the same concerned look. They look down at Boyd who's in the middle of both of them. Boyd looks back at them afraid.   
        "You're beaten." Deucalion tells them. "Do it, Derek and Diana. Take the first step."   
        Diana was shaking in a rage. She was barely keeping composure at what was being demanded by her. All of the dark memories of her past were flashing through her mind.   
        "Are we serious with these kids?" Kali growls out. "Look at them. They're Alphas? To what? A couple of useless teenagers?"   
        "Some have more promise than others." Deucalion says as he glances over at Scott but no one understands the second meaning to his words.   
        "Let him rise to the occasion then." Kali states. "What'll it be, Derek and Diana? Pack or family?"   
        Kali presses her claws into Cora while the twins tighten their hold on Isaac.   
        "Don't make him do this." Diana pleads at Deucalion. "He's all I have."  
        Diana was pleading for Isaac's sake but for Derek's sake too. If he killed Boyd, he would be lost. The act of killing someone you love was something that could not be undone. It was a burden that she has barely been able to carry through her life. Derek didn't deserve this.  
        The choice had to be made, but it was just there luck that the time was pushed off. An arrow flies in the air and hits the conjoined twins, causing them to separate into their own bodies. Another arrow flies in the air, flashing them with an immense light. It blinds Kali but not Derek as Diana manages to cover him before the arrow hits the ground.   
        "Your eyes... cover your eyes!" Deucalion warns.   
        Allison's involvement levels the playing field. Diana quickly gets off of Derek and shoves Cora and Boyd out of the battle field. She turns back around just to find Scott and Ennis growling at each other before running towards one another. Diana expected for Scott to be thrown down but they both are still standing, thrown away from each by a few feet. Something resonated within her, her nervous system warning her off danger so she sets her eyes on Ennis that was the only Alpha standing. **_  
         ** _Diana took on Ennis on her own. Her daggers had been lost during the fight but she was still capable of fighting hand to hand. She managed to keep enough control to not wolf out until Ennis took advantage of her open side and clawed through her skin. Diana lets out a scream of pain, her hands immediately dropping to cover the wound.  
        Claws extend from her hands and she's struggling to keep the she wolf at bay. In doing so, she starts shifting into her in between state, the one she has no complete control of. Scott knows this too well, and pushes through the wound on his side to try to help her. He's too late as Diana is already being pushed back by Derek himself. Derek shielding her from Ennis. Diana drops to the floor and tells him to go but Derek doesn't listen.   
        Derek and Ennis start to fight dangerously close to each other. Claws being thrown in every direction, growls echoing off the concrete walls, Alpha against Alpha and neither wanted to be the inferior one. They're approaching the ledge, too dangerously close to it.   
        Diana calls out to Derek, having a sick feeling in her gut, knowing that something bad was about to happen. It was too late though...   
        Scott crawls to help Derek, clawing Ennis at the back of his legs.Scott didn't take notice of the strong hold Ennis had on Derek so when he fell, Derek fell with him too.  
        All she sees is Derek's red eyes boring deeply into her soul. Burning... leaving a scorched mark that will forever remain with her.  
        She's crawling.  
        She and Scott are scrambling to the edge. Screams and growls echoing around the room. Her heart is in her throat as she and Scott reach the ledge and look down. All she sees is his body laying motionless on the unused stairs.   
        She screams, more like a lone howl, filled with so much pain that everyone feels it in the room. Her broken sobs are the only sound now and everyone just stops. _**  


***************

        Everything had settled and the bus was back on the road. Allison and Lydia were forced to ride with them as their car no longer had gas. With all that just happened, the bus had returned to it's usual bored silence as everyone lost the buzz of excitement from the bus stop. Stiles sat with Lydia while Isaac changed seats and sat with Diana to keep an eye on her. Allison did the same and remained with Scott.  
        Scott had almost died because he wouldn't let himself heal. All because he blamed himself for Derek's death. If he died, anyways. No one was sure if he was actually dead. It wouldn't be the first time that they all believe he was dead only for him to come out of his hiding spot, alive and well. Seeing as Diana was still alive and breathing, they had hopes that Derek was too.  
        Allison kept on glancing at Scott, in concern as well as curiosity. She was remembering the red eyes Scott had for a few seconds during his confrontation with Ennis. His aura of power against Isaac was further proof that she had indeed  _not_ imagined that. Either way, Scott had returned to his beta self and everything was returning to some certain level of normalcy.  
        "All right. Let's go over this one more time." Stiles states to a bored Lydia. "So it's the sacrifices, right? Everything has to do with them and someone who thinks he's, like, a dark druid of some kind."   
        "Or actually _is_ a dark druid." Lydia corrects him.   
        "A Darach." Stiles names.   
        "You know... Some ancient cultures sacrificed people in preparation for battle." Lydia comments.   
        "So we got Alpha werewolves against a dark druid." Stiles sighs out in which Lydia nods unhappily to. The conversation turns to an end, as both of them feared for the unknown.   
        Isaac turned to a very silent Diana who was staring distantly through the window. He nudges her shoulder and she slowly turns to him with a small smile on her lips.   
        "I'm fine, Isaac." she tells him. "If you keep on frowning like that you'll get wrinkles before you're twenty."   
        "You know, if Derek's really dead, it's not your fault." Isaac simply states, not avoiding the sore subject.   
        Diana turns away from him and looks out the window. He could tell that it was still a deep open wound but they had to talk about this.   
        "Even though he can't bear to be in the same room as me... even though he hates me with a blinding rage, Derek protected me." Diana answers shakily. Another sobbing episode threatening to happen again. "Derek protected me and he died in doing so."   
        "You said that everyone you love dies," Isaac brings up. "You know that's not true."   
        "Isaac..." Diana sighs out as she hugs herself, unconsciously trying to make herself small. "There's things you don't know about my past. Things that led me to this point of my life. If you knew... you would understand how very true that is."   
        "Then tell me." Isaac states.   
        Diana sighs. Not even Deaton knew about this part of her history. She looked at Isaac who was sitting beside her and knew she couldn't deflect this. She takes a deep breath and prepares herself.   
        "The Alpha I killed..." she starts to say before a harsh discomfort burns in her neck. Instantly her hand reaches for the nook of her neck and she groans. "Argh..."   
        "Diana," Isaac exclaims in concern as he watched her grimace in pain very visually.   
        "Argh," she says clutching very tightly at her neck, knowing it was the spot of the non-visible Mate mark that Derek had left her. This could mean many things but it was all surrounding one person. "Derek... with her..."  
        Another wave of pain, before she's released of it all. She grimaces before looking around her in shock and concern.   
        "Derek..." Diana says with deep emotion in her voice. Isaac couldn't figure out if it was relief or pain. "Derek, I think he's alive."


	6. Motel California

        The bus came to a halting stop and I cringed. I was no longer in a lot of pain but I was sore everywhere. Everyone started to pile out of the bus and I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder. Coach left to get the keys while I kept an eye on the team. Everyone was dead tired and they were being very angsty about it. I couldn't blame them. The bus drive was more than we had to endure, especially with everything that had happened at the bus stop.  
        The bus had stopped at a very vacant and unappealing motel called the Glen Capri. Just standing in the parking was enough to sense the dark aura the hotel held. I couldn't really frown at the appearance since I've stayed in placed much worse than this. The kids were already muttering their distaste for the place but they soon shut up as Coach Finstock comes back with many room keys in hand.  
        "Listen up. The meet's been pushed till tomorrow." Coach states. "This is the closest motel with the most vacancies and least amount of good judgment when it comes to accepting a bunch of degenerates like yourselves. You'll be pairing up. Choose wisely. And I'll have no sexual perversions perpetrated by you little deviants. Got that? Keep your dirty little hands to your dirty little selves!"   
        Pairs of students took some of the keys and I quickly snatched one for my own. I could hear Isaac shouting my name but I quickly made my way to my room and locked myself inside. I threw my bag on the bed and [just slid down to the floor](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=212036870). I had a slight headache and the pain on my neck had yet to fade. I quickly massaged the area even though I knew it wouldn't do anything.   
        My fingers tremble as I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone. I dial the number and sigh as it rings for a couple of seconds before immediately going to voicemail. I bite my bottom lip, trying to keep my emotions in control, but miserably failing.   
        " _This is Derek Hale. You know what to do._ "   
        I take a deep breath as the beep goes off.  
        "You changed your voicemail." I state. "That's new."   
        I become silent as I press my fingers to the bridge of my nose and tried to find the words to say.  
        "I have no idea if you ignored my phone call or your phone is dead..." I trail off at the last word. "Or maybe you're just dead."   
        I sigh as I said this.  
        "Please, Derek." I plead humiliatingly. "I  _need_ to know if you're alive so  _please_ set aside that hate you have for me and call me back. Call me, text me, send me a fucking smoke signal, _anything_ please. I just have to know that you're alive, Der."   
        I take a shaky deep breath as I tried to calm my nerves.   
        "I just need a conformation, Derek. Just grant me one more miracle please and  _not_ be dead." I state. "Please just tell me you're not dead so I don't think I'm going crazy with this idea that you might have actually survived that fall. Please tell me you're alive and breathing and I'll forget about everything else. I promise Derek, please just give me this."   
        I wanted to say more but the beep cuts me off before I could get another word in. I drop my phone to the floor and just press my hands into my eyes as I try to ignore everything.  
        My senses must be growing because I could distantly smell her lilac perfume. As much as I wanted to ignore it, I could still smell it. It invaded all of my senses and all I could smell was that damn lilac perfume. I groan as my neck sends another shock of pain to my whole body. I didn't have the energy to cry so I just sat there, on the yellow floor of the motel, attempting to become numb again. 

************

  
Third POV,  _Derek's Loft_  
        All he could see was red and black. His vision would waver between the two. At some point he saw hands, sliding his loft door open before it became black again. The next thing he sees is the window and the welcoming open bed. His eyes shut once more and darkness takes over. Through this all, Derek could hear the short quick breaths from the woman carrying him in. He could sense the pure panic she was feeling as she attempted to carry him in.   
        "Oh, God. This is a bad, very bad idea." Jennifer trembled beside him. "I should be taking you to a hospital."   
        "No... no hospital." Derek gasps out.   
        "Derek, I can't..." her face becomes clear to him before it becomes distorted. He feels heavier and more tired than before. His eyes won't open anymore. "...I can't hold you anymore. I'm losing you."  
        He falls but it doesn't hurt. Not as much as the pain he's already feeling. It's not just the physical pain that was overriding his mind, it was an emotional one. That one he couldn't fully comprehend.   
        "Derek?" Jennifer asks as she peers down his fallen body. "Derek. Derek..."   
        Derek didn't have the right mindset to respond and so he let himself fall into the beckoning darkness. Jennifer's voice faded away from his mind and another one took it's place.   
        

  
_The family dinners were killing him._   
_His home should be a safe haven, but that wasn't the case anymore. Not ever since his sister and his mom took a liking with the new girl. Apparently she brought a breath of life into the home. This one girl seemed to reunite the family in surprising ways except for him.  
        Derek was the outsider looking in.   
        That's all he could do. All he wanted to do if he was being honest. Her smile illuminated the room. Her laughter filled it. Her overall being was intoxicating to him and he yearned that her smile would be for him. That her laughter would be because of him. Derek wanted to be the reason she was happy but he knew that would never happen. Not when he kept on making a fool of himself every time he spoke with her.   
        "So how was everyone's day?" his mother asked the whole table. Everyone was there with the exception of Peter who claimed he had better things to do. Derek was the only guy in a table filled with women.   
        "We had to dissect a frog today in bio," Cora states. "I pitied the poor dead thing."    
        "Oh really?" Diana pipes in, trying to hide that beautiful grin of hers. "You weren't this sympathetic when you made "Richard the Dancing Frog" dance across our lab table."   
        Cora slapped DiDi's arm at this while his mother just shook her head at them.   
        "That was meant to be a secret between us!" Cora exclaims.   
        "I shall not lie," DiDi says raising her hands in surrender.  
        The whole table erupts in laughter and Cora lets go of the conflict.  
        "Other than poor Richard the frog, is there anything else?" Thalia states. "Maybe something from your corner of the table, Derek?"  
        Derek sighs as the spotlight is suddenly on him.  
        "Umm well... we're still in pre-season training for basketball so nothing interesting has happened." Derek replies. "Coach still hasn't decided on team captain. He says I haven't stepped up to the plate yet."  
        "Well I think you'll make a great team captain, Derek." DiDi says sending him an encouraging smile.  
        "What makes you say that?" Derek asks her, genuinely curious.  
        "Because you genuinely care," DiDi says, the answer surprising not only the whole table, but herself included.  
        There was something flickering in her eyes as he looked into them, but as usual, Derek ruined the moment. The glass in his hand slips and the water spills all over the table.  
        "Smooth," Cora snorts as she sits back and watches Derek jump from his seat. DiDi couldn't help but just laugh as she stood up as well.  
        "I'll go get some towels," DiDi says as she makes her way into the kitchen. Once she was out of the room, Thalia looks up to her only son.  
        "You really need to get a grip on yourself."  _   


************

  
Third POV,  _Glen Capri Motel_  
        Stiles runs down the stairs and makes his way down to the sole vending machine. He finds Boyd has already beat him to it so Stiles sends a quick greeting as he waits for Boyd to finish up. As usual, Boyd just ignores Stiles and places his focus directly into the vending machine as he presses the simple three-numbered code.   
        "Hey! That was the same thing I was gonna get." Stiles pipes in, attempting to fill the silence. The peanut butter crackers start to move but stop, not dropping at all. Stiles just sighs but knew how to get them down. "Oh, hang on. You know what? I got a patented method for this. Don't worry."   
        Before Stiles could start shaking the vending machine, Boyd just punches through the glass. Stiles slowly takes a step back as Boyd grabbed the single packet of crackers and silently retreats from the machine. Stiles just watches him go, without knowing what to say. He looks back from Boyd to the vending machine a couple of times before just reaching into the machine itself and grabbing a few items himself. Stiles grabbed more than he intended to purchase, but what could he do when it was just there for the taking. He brushes off Boyd's mysterious behavior and starts to head back to the room.   
        Lydia makes her way to the reception booth with an arm full of "clean" towels. Something she was very spectacle about in the first place which was why she was here now.   
        "Excuse me?" Lydia calls out to the woman inside the booth who had her back to her. "The card on the dresser says we have a non-smoking room, but somehow all of our towels reek of nicotine."   
        The receptionist turns around, revealing the tracheostomy tube in her throat.   
        "Sorry about that, sweetheart."   
        Lydia tries her hardest to ignore the tube in the woman's throat and looks up to the hanged numbers on the wall behind the receptionist.   
        "What's that?" Lydia asks her. "That number?"   
        "It's a kind of inside thing for the motel." The receptionist crackly responds. "My husband insists on keeping it up."   
        "What do you mean?" Lydia asks her.   
        "It's a little bit morbid, to be honest. You sure you want to know?"   
        "Tell me." Lydia answers.   
        "We're not gonna make the top of anyone's list when it comes to customer satisfaction." The receptionist states.   
        "Obviously." Lydia says with a roll of her eyes.   
        "But we are number one in California when it comes to one disturbing little detail. Since opening, more than any other motel in California, we have the most guest suicides."   
        "198?" Lydia asks concerned.   
        "And counting." The receptionist replies as a dark chuckle escapes her throat. 

*************

  
Third POV,  _Derek's Loft_  
        Jennifer slowly pulled up Derek's torn up shirt and revealed the deep, angry gash that extended all over his chest. The blood was still flowing from the deep wound and she could only look at it in complete and utter shock. A thousand things were running on her mind, questions and curses, but only three words slipped from her mouth.  
        "Oh, my God."   
        Derek was barely conscious but he managed to hear her faint whisper.   
        "How bad?" he asked her.   
        "To be honest, the _oh, my God_  would be for your unbelievable physique if it weren't for the fact that you're bleeding black blood." Jennifer states before Derek's eyes roll back and he lets out another groan in pain. "Derek... Oh, God, you're not dying, are you?"  
        Derek doesn't respond and Jennifer starts to panic.   
        "Derek, please don't die. Derek!" Jennifer shouts before placing her ear to his chest and barely hearing a faint heartbeat. She sighs in relief as she heard his heart continue to beat. "Not exactly how I imagined our first date." 

         _Derek caught sight of her as he was making his own way home. She was kicking the nearby fallen branches and small pebbles across the forest before just sighing and continuing her walk. From what he could tell, DiDi had just left his house and was making her way to hers. Derek followed her quietly and she stopped walking so he did too. DiDi's head whips around and Derek made sure to hide behind a tree.  
        "Whoever's out there better just come out," DiDi exclaims in annoyance. "I'm not in the mood today."   
        Derek debated whether he should step out but he ended up not doing it. She didn't seem to care. She just shook her head and continued walking. He just followed her quietly as she for the first time showed anything but her usual optimism. Derek could tell she was genuinely upset. He wasn't looking in where he was going and all of a sudden, a dry twig snaps under his foot.   
        "Just come out already!" Diana shouts annoyed. "I will scream bloody murder if I have to!"           
        She turned around to look through the forest and Derek finally decided to just step out once and for all. She still hadn't realized he was right behind her until Derek leaned in and whispered boo into her ear.   
        "Jesus bloody christ," DiDi exclaims as she turns to look at Derek. Derek couldn't help but laugh at her expression as she immediately begins to shove him.   
        "What is wrong with you?" DiDi shouts. "I could have... I could have..."  
        "You could have what?" Derek asks amused. " **Screamed bloody murder?** "  
        DiDi just huffed annoyed at him before turning away from him and walking away.   
        "You know you're cute when you're angry," Derek tells her as he catches up to her. DiDi scoffed at this and didn't reply. "So... what are you doing walking in the woods so early in the morning? Have nothing better to do?"   
        "I was actually looking for my brother," DiDi sighs out. "He didn't come home last night so I assumed he had slept over at your house, but he didn't."   
        "I haven't seen Marcos since Friday's night basketball practice." Derek tells her.   
        "That's just great," DiDi mutters as she shook her head.   
        "Is something wrong?" Derek asks her concerned. "Did you need something?"   
        "I just need answers," DiDi responds. "Because Marcos is hiding something from... Actually  **everyone** is hiding something from me; my dad, Marcos, even...you. I'm tired of being left out of things!"   
        DiDi's outburst took him by surprise and she immediately turned to him in regret.   
        "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lash out on you." She dropped her eyes from him and just sighed. "God, what am I even doing?" she seemed to ask herself.   
        "Come on," Derek says, finding his voice. "Let me walk you home. You shouldn't be out here all alone."   
        "Why?" DiDi chuckles out at him, her sly confidence peeking through again. "You think the big bad wolf will eat me or something?"   
        Derek couldn't help but chuckle at that.  
        "Yeah... something like that."   
        They walked in complete silence. At certain times their hands would brush against each other and Derek couldn't help how his heart stilled every time they connected. They reached her house too soon and she was the one who sighed at the sight of it.  
        "My dad's not home either," DiDi sighs out as she takes notice of the missing parked car. "I shouldn't be surprised."   
        "Are you always left alone?" Derek asks her concerned.  
        "Why do you think I'm always hanging around your house?" DiDi answers with instead. Derek didn't know how to respond and she didn't want him to. "Thanks for hearing me rant. I know we don't know each other very well so thanks for not judging me."   
        "It's alright." Derek says scratching his head awkwardly. "Anytime you need to talk, I'm here."   
        DiDi nods at this and was about to make her way to the front door, before Derek spoke up once more. It was itching in his mind ever since she's said it. He just had to know.   
        "What you said earlier," Derek starts off. "About me hiding something from you..."   
        "I didn't mean anything by it, I was just..."   
        "No you're right," Derek interrupts her. He looked deep into her brown eyes and took a deep breath. "It's just... I like you, a lot."   
        His words were met with silence as she just stared at him. Then the surprising thing happened, and she started to laugh, full-on, gasping for air, abs-hurting laughter. Derek could only stare at her in mere confusion.   
        "I'm sorry," DiDi gasps out. "But I knew that, Derek. You make it really obvious."   
        Derek couldn't help but blush at her words, embarrassed that she knew already.  
        "For our first date, you really are quite oblivious." DiDi chuckles out.   
        "First date?" Derek asks in surprise.   
        "Yeah," DiDi says as she opens her front door. "I don't usually let the big bad wolf walk me home."   
        Derek could only stare after her speechless as she closed the door, with a warm smile and a wink at his direction. _  


************

  
Third POV,  _Glen Capri Motel_  
        Isaac was laying in bed in the dark dingy motel room. His eyes were closed and he was asleep, a dreamless sleep. His mind was elsewhere, but his senses were not. Isaac starts to hear metal clinging, like chains. He opens his eyes, staring at the blank ceiling ahead.  
        "Boyd?" Isaac asks.   
        He doesn't get a response and so Isaac was ready to turn over and go back to sleep when the metal clanging becomes louder. Isaac sits up this time, and scans the empty room. Nothing was out of place and yet he could hear metal clanking and shuffling around him. All of a sudden, he gasps as he hears his father's voice echo the room.  
         _Hand me the 7/16 wrench. What the hell? This is the 9/16, you moron. You know what the difference between a seven and a nine is, dumb-ass?  
        _"You know what the difference between a seven and a nine is?" Isaac repeats in a trance. "It's a stripped bolt."   
          _A stripped bolt._ The voice echoes harshly in the room.  
        "I'm sorry, I didn't... " Isaac cringes within himself. "What do you want me to do?"   
         _I want you to shut up.  
        _"I want you to shut up. Shut up, shut up." Isaac repeats angrily to himself. His whole demeanor changes again as he himself attempts to make himself smaller. "What can I do? I can't fix this now. I can't fix this now. I can't fix it. I can't fix it."   
        Isaac starts to gasp, light sweat on his pale skin. He starts to breathe rapidly, not knowing what to do.   
         _I can't even keep it closed. Grab the chains.  
        _"What?" Isaac asks in fear before his demeanor changes again. "Grab the chains. Get in. I said, get in!"   
         _Are you not hearing me, son? Get in the damn freezer! Get in!  
        _Isaac immediately jumps and scrambles deep into the bed. He clutches the nearby pillow over his ears trying to mute out his father's voice. He closes his eyes hoping that this nightmare will soon come to an end. Whispers start to fill his ears and Isaac slowly pulls the pillow away and opens his eyes.  
        Everything was dark. Everything was dark. He screams as the four walls of the fridge appear around him and then the door is shut close. 

*****

        Lydia and Allison make it down to the reception center in need of some answers. Things were far from normal in this hotel and they had to find out why. Allison would have dismissed this whole thing if it wasn't for Lydia's adamant behavior to know what the hell was going on in this place. They reach the reception booth only to find the receptionist gone with a notice of her being back in the morning.   
        "Well, there goes that." Lydia sighs out.   
        Allison wasn't too convinced as she stared at the pinned up sign.   
        "Didn't you say the sign said 198?" Allison asked her.   
        Lydia was confused at the question before she turned to look up at the sign. Where it used to say 198, now held the number 201."   
        "It was 198." Lydia states. "I _swear_ to God it was 198."   
        "Okay, what does that mean?" Allison asks her. "That there's been three more suicides?"  
        Lydia paused, knowing that it went beyond that.   
        "Or three more are about to happen." 

*****

        Scott walks out of the bathroom just in time to pick up his ringing phone. He takes notice that his mom was calling and immediately answers it.   
        "Hey, mom, what's up?" Scott asks her. He's met with silence, causing him to become concerned. "Mom?"   
        " _..._ _Scott_?" Melissa shakily answers.   
        "Mom, what's wrong?" Scott asks instantly noticing the fear in her voice.   
        " _I'm sorry, he just came in the house._ " Melissa cries out. " _I tried to stop him. I'm sorry._ "   
        "Who, mom?" Scott exclaims. "Mom, where are you?"  
        " _Outside._ " Melissa answers. " _Look outside._ "   
        Scott immediately makes his way to the motel window and pulls out the yellowed curtains. He freezes as he catches sight of his mom being held with claws at her throat by Deucalion.   
        " _Scott... can you hear me?_ " Deucalion speaks up.   
        "What do you want?" Scott angrily responds.   
        " _Isn't it obvious?_ " Deucalion asks him. " _You're an Alpha now, Scott._ "   
        "I'm not. I'm not." Scott desperately states. "Derek... Derek could still be alive. He could..."   
        " _He's dead_." Deucalion interrupts him. " _You know he is, so now I'm coming for you. You and everyone you love. I'm coming for all of them."_  
Before Scott could speak up, Deucalion draws his claws through Melissa's throat and she quickly drops dead. Scott was gasping in shock, unsure of what to do.   
        "Hey, Scott, you okay?" Stiles asks him as he returns to the room.   
        Scott turns to him confused, then back out the window to find the parking lot empty. Stiles stared at his best friend in confusion before he receives a text from Lydia who wanted to meet with him.  _Just him._ Stiles stared at Scott with concern but the text from Lydia alarmed him too. Without another word, Stiles left the motel room and went to find Lydia.

*****

        Stiles entered their motel room only for Lydia and Allison to just start going off at them with their crazy stories. First there was Lydia and the suicide numbers. Then there was Lydia overhearing a couple-suicide on the room next door, which was  _empty_ and under remodeling. Then there was Allison and her very weird interaction with Scott.  
        "Last time I saw Scott act like that was during the full moon." Allison explains.   
        "Yeah, I know. He was definitely a little off with me too." Stiles tells her as he remembered how he left him. "But actually, it was Boyd who was really off. I watched him put his fist through the vending machine."   
        "See, it is the motel!" Lydia exclaims. "Either we need to get out of here right now, or... " Lydia goes to the night table and pulls out the old bible. "...Someone needs to learn how to do an exorcism asap, before the werewolves go crazy and kill us."   
        "Okay, just hold on, all right?" Stiles pipes in. "What if it's not just the motel? The number in the office went up by three, right?"   
        Allison sees where he's getting at and turns to him.   
        "You mean like three sacrifices?" Allison asks him.   
        "What if this time it's three werewolves?" Stiles states.   
        "Scott, Isaac, and Boyd." Allison lists off.   
        "Let's not forget Diana." Lydia tells them.   
        "Has anyone seen her tonight?" Stiles asks them.   
        "She made a beeline to her room and locked herself in." Allison tells him. "From everyone, I think she's acting the most normal."   
        Stiles sighs at this, knowing that hiding out on her own was Diana's style.  
        "Maybe we were meant to come here."   
        "Exactly!" Lydia exclaims. "So can we get the hell out of here now? Please?"   
        Lydia was still flinging around the bible in her hand which caught Stiles' attention.   
        "Wait, hang on. Let me see this."   
        Stiles opens the bible up and pulls out the handful of old and new newspaper clippings.   
        "What is that?" Allison asks as she takes one of the clippings.   
        " _28year-old man hangs himself at the infamous Glen Capri._ " Stiles reads out loud.   
        "Oh, no. Look at these two." Lydia says as she picks two of the clippings up. "They both mention the room 217. These are probably all the suicides that happened in this room."   
        "So if every room has a Bible..." Allison starts to say before Lydia finishes it for her.  
        "There could be articles in all the rooms."   
        "That's a beautiful thing." Stiles sarcastically states. "Most places leave a mint under the pillow. This one leaves a record of all the horrible deaths that occurred."   
        "What if the room next door has the one about the couple?" Lydia asks Allison. Knowing this, all three of them leave the room to go to the one next door. Stiles attempts to open the door only for it to be locked. "No, that was not locked before."   
        "Forget it." Allison states. "We need to get Scott, Isaac, and Boyd out of here."   
        They all start to leave before a high screeching sound is emitted from the inside of the locked room.   
        "I'm not the only one who heard that, am I?" Lydia asks as she turns around to the locked room.   
        "It sounds like someone turned the handsaw on." Allison states.   
        "Handsaw?" Stiles exclaims. He quickly runs back to the room and uses all of his body weight to throw the door open. "Diana!"  
        The door swings open only to find Ethan holding the handsaw over his head, ready to drive it down to his abdomen.   
        "Hey, no, Ethan, don't!" Stiles founds himself exclaiming as he ran forward. Ethan quickly puts up a fight and they both start to tug on the handsaw. Ethan then drops the handsaw, pushing Stiles down alongside with it. Stiles' face lands a mere few centimeters from the dying rapid blades, in which it was pure luck that Lydia pulled the extension out just in time.   
        Things were far from over as Ethan then just pulls out his claws and starts to dig into his skin. Stiles and Lydia immediately run forward and try to stop the self-mutilation. This time, the struggle causes Ethan to fall and he lands on the hot lamp nearby.   
        "Aah!" Ethan shouts as he clutches his burned hand. His eyes then take his surroundings and he looks at Stiles and Lydia in confusion. "What just happened?"   
        No one responds, not knowing the answer themselves. Ethan wasn't really sure what to think and so he just runs out of the room. Stiles quickly follows after him with Lydia and Allison in tow.   
        "Ethan!" Stiles shouts. "What in the hell where you doing?"   
        "Didn't you hear what I just said?" Ethan exclaims. "I don't know how I got there or what I was doing."   
        "Okay, you could be a little bit more helpful, you know?" Stiles retorts. "We did just save your life."   
        "And you probably shouldn't have." Ethan replies before slamming the motel door in their faces. Stiles turns to Lydia and Allison, another dead end.   
        "What now?" Lydia asks.   
        "I'll find Scott and Diana." Allison states, realizing that this was affecting all werewolves, not just one. "You guys grab Isaac and Boyd. The best thing we can do is get them out of this place."   
        Allison makes her way upstairs and Lydia was ready to follow until she noticed that Stiles was just staring at her.   
        "What?" Lydia asks him. "Why are you looking at me like that?"   
        "Oh, no, I w..." Stiles fibs.   
        "Stiles." Lydia says cutting him off.   
        "All right, Lydia. I didn't want to say anything, but this... everything we're going through... we've kind of been through something like this before, a lot like this."   
        "What do you mean?" Lydia asks him confused. "When?"   
        "Your birthday party," Stiles answers. "The night you poisoned everyone with wolfsbane." 

**************

  
Third POV,  _Derek's Loft_  
        Jennifer stared out of the expanded window in Derek's loft. Hours had passed with Derek remaining unconscious. Only flutters of words escaped his lips which didn't make much sense to her. She had stayed and had just wasted her time thinking. Her mind is returned back to the loft when she hears groans coming from the bed nearby her. Derek was sitting up, fully awake now, but not fully healed.  
        "Are you sure you want to do that?" Jennifer asks him.   
        "I have to find the others." Derek answers her. "They think I'm dead."   
        "Well, maybe that's a good thing." Jennifer says playing with her hands nervously. "You know how many characters in literature use a false death to their advantage? You ever read Les Mis? Tale of Two Cities? Romeo and Juliet?"   
        "They need to know." Derek states.   
        "Do you have any idea how bad you look?" Jennifer says stepping up to him. "You're like one giant open wound. I'm not entirely sure you aren't really dead."   
        Derek ignores her and attempts to stand up, only to fall back again. He grimaces and Jennifer immediately goes over to him in concern. Derek waves her off as he takes a deep breath. She kneels in front of him, nonetheless, and just glances at the wound again.   
        "You don't have any bandages or any kind of first aid anywhere. I looked."   
        "My ex," Derek grits out. "She took it with her."   
        He was annoyed as to how convenient it was that Diana had that medical kit laying around for some forsaken reason. It saved his life more than he could remember.   
        "I usually don't need them." Derek huffs out.   
        "How do we fix you up?" Jennifer asks, meeting his eyes.  
        "Time." Derek answers, faintly smiling at her. The teacher was beautiful when she smiled up at him. She was one of the few good things he's been around lately which meant, knowing his past entanglements, it would soon be destroyed. Derek's smile fades away as he looked away from her. "You shouldn't be here."   
        "Why's that?" Jennifer curiously asks him.   
        "Because you don't know me." Derek answers. "You don't know anything about me."   
        "Maybe I have a feeling about you." Jennifer replies, wanting his eyes back on her again.   
        "It shouldn't be a good one." Derek confesses to her. "Everyone around me... everyone gets hurt."   
        "I've been hurt before." Jennifer tells him.  
        "Not like this." Derek whispers.   
        Jennifer wasn't so easily swayed by his words. Instead she leaned her face close to his, her nose brushing against his. Derek's mind was going on overdrive. Every part of his body was flaring up, warning him to not go further, but something about her. The alluring smell of lilac and the way she was looking at him now, Derek couldn't help himself.   
        One simple kiss.  
        Their breaths mixing together, and then another kiss.   
        Pain erupted in Derek's chest, but he couldn't stop. Every time he closed his eyes he could see what he most desired. He desired to be back to the time when that warm smile of hers was directed at him. He desired that her laughter would always cause his heart to stop. He desired for the life of him to just forget about  _her.  
        _Every day after he found out about her secret, Derek has been wanting to forget about Diana. Forget her smile. Forget her laugh. Forget her overall _intoxicating_  essence. He didn't know how Diana had infiltrated every part of his life but she had.   
        Everywhere Derek looked he would find her. Derek would find her in the leaves of the trees. He would find her in the craters of the full moon. He would find her concerned stare in Isaac's eyes. He would find her cold essence in Peter's demeanor. Derek would find her in everything and everyone. The worst part was, he looked forward to finding her in these simple of things. It was this fact that was driving him completely mad and when she showed up. God, when she showed up... when she showed up after months of not seeing her, she destroyed him all over again.   
        So Derek kissed Jennifer. He kissed her lips, her neck, every open skin available to him. He kissed her like it was the end of the world because it was for him. It  _needed_ to be the end of the world for him. Diana had taken over Derek's world and he just needed it to stop. This was a new beginning. A new chance to just forget and so that's what Derek did. He let himself forget about everything with Jennifer even though the constant pain on his chest remained. 

***************

  
Diana's POV,  _Glen Capri Motel_           
        I had called. I had called and texted instead of looking after myself. There was no point in looking after myself if Derek was alive but unresponsive. I was so set in my mind on this that when I first felt something from his end, I was relieved. He's alive. Oh, thank God he's alive. My relief was short lived as the the burning began. I became still, completely still. I could feel it. I could feel him...with her.   
        Suddenly every nerve in my body was on fire. I let out a chocked groan as tears ran down my skin. I was burning up. The clothes I had on were heavy and confining. My body drops to the floor and I begin to shake, to convulse. Air was so hard to take in and I was suffocating.   
        My she-wolf was clawing desperately inside of me. Not to be let out, but because she was burning up as well. She was suffering alongside with me. I could only cry out in pain. I was no longer capable of keeping my pained cries to myself. I was dying and in the most humiliating way.   
        Abuela was right. God, she was right and if she was here right now she would relish in my pain. I could practically hear her say " _te lo dije.._." accompanied with deadly laughter. Love is the reason I'm where I am today. Love is what killed me as hunter. Love is what was killing me as a werewolf now.   
        I let out a soundless scream as I gasped for air. Everything in my world was fading and I had nothing to latch onto, nothing to anchor myself to.   
        Desperate knocking on my room's door snapped me out of my haze.  
        It was as if a bucket of ice water had hit my body, jolting it awake. Air filled my lungs, heart slowed down, and I felt like myself. I quickly wiped my face and stood up from my curled up position. I take a deep breath, fixing my disarray in my clothes, becoming annoyed by the rapid knocking that didn't cease. I open my door just a crack to find Allison from all people outside my door.   
        "What do you want from me and why?" I ask her, extremely tired of what I had just endured. If Allison noticed, she didn't seem to comment in it as she looked past me and into my room, as if she was looking for something. I narrowed my eyes at her. "What are you looking for, Allison? Because as usual, your presence is bothering me to no ends."   
        Her eyes snap back at me, the usual hate lingering behind her eyes.   
        "Came to check if you were still alive," Allison retorts. "I got my answer."   
        She turns to leave, but I snatch onto her wrist and pull her back. She must have heard me. She must have heard everything that was happening to me and I didn't need her running to everyone with the news. I didn't need her revealing that I wasn't entirely ok.   
        "Whatever you heard in here, it was  _nothing_." I tell her, anger disappearing in my words. This was meant to be a threat but my voice failed me. All you could hear was clear desperation and Allison quickly took notice of this.   
        "Diana, are you alright?" Allison asked me, her whole angry demeanor changing to one of concern.  
        I let go of her hand and shakily run a hand through my hair. I look away from her prying eyes and take a deep breath.   
        "Get out, Allison." I whisper.   
        She hesitates. I could feel the sigh that passes her lips.   
        "Something... something's wrong with this motel." Allison states. "We all think it's some sort of trap and it's best if we pack up and go."   
        "I said get out, Allison." I repeat, not finding any sense or threat in her words. "Leave me alone."   
        "But you could be in trouble..."   
        "I am always in trouble!" I shout at her. "I am always running from something! I don't care anymore! I just... don't care."  
        "Just because Derek's gone..."   
        "Don't you dare say his name again," I snap at her. "I swear to everything that is holy, that I will cut your tongue if you mention his name again."   
        Allison just stood there in shock. I could feel that my eyes were glowing red and I immediately pull myself back. Everything was a mess in my brain and I was having a hard time keeping control.  
        "Get out, Allison." I whisper again as I pressed on my eyes, trying to silence my loud mind. "For the love of God, just get out!"   
        And she did. I was left alone once more and I could still feel it. I could feel him with her and she was healing him in the wounds that I caused him. I open my eyes to find the mirror and in my reflection I saw the mate mark on my neck appear once more. 

**************

  
Third POV,  _Glen Capri Motel_  
        Lydia could hear the dripping of water, the bathtub being filled, and the baby being placed there to drown. She didn't know how to explain it and luckily she didn't have to. Stiles believed her instantly and it was because of this that they had quickly found Boyd in his room's bathroom, drowning. He was inside the filled bathtub with a safebox over his chest to keep him under.   
        Stiles immediately runs over to the bathtub and sticks his arm into the drain. He attempts to unclog it, but Boyd had stuffed the drain to tightly.  
        "He blocked it." Stiles tells Lydia. "He blocked the drain with something. I can't get to it."   
        "What do we do?" Lydia asks him in a panic.  
        "Here, help me." Stiles tells her as he moves to the lockbox. Lydia and Stiles attempt to pull out the metal box but it was no use. Boyd had a deathlike grip on it and it was too heavy on it's own.   
        "Is he dead?" Lydia gasps out. "How long can a werewolf stay underwater?"   
        "You think I know that?" Stiles snaps at her. One last attempt to move the lockbox causes him to fall back and his hands hit the heater nearby. "Ow!"  
        Stiles quickly cradles his burned hand before realization hits his mind.  
        "Wait a sec, the heater." Stiles states. "Heater... Ethan came out of it when he touched the heater."   
        "What?" Lydia asks confused.   
        "It's heat, heat, fire." Stiles exclaims. "Heat does it, all right? We need something... We need fire."  
        "He's underwater." Lydia points out to him.  
        "Yeah, I'm aware of that." Stiles sighs out.   
        "Wait, wait. The bus." Lydia exclaims. "On the bus, they'll have emergency road flares. They have their own oxidizers. They can burn underwater."   
        "Are you serious?" Stiles asks her, surprised that she knew this.   
        "Yes, go!" Lydia shouts at him, knowing that they didn't have much time. Stiles runs out of the room and down to the boss. He ran so fast that Diana would have been proud of his adrenaline high speed. Stiles reaches the bus and pulls out two road flares, leaving the third behind.  
        Meanwhile, Lydia attempts to pull the lockbox until it was no use. She steps away from the bathroom, unsure of what to do and overall freaked out by the possible dead body in the bathtub. Lydia steps back into the room and that's when she hears it, sniffling and crying. At first she thought it was like before, when she heard the past suicides, but this was real.   
        Lydia walks over to the bed, already panicked. She kneels next to the bed and slowly lifts up the covers. She finds Isaac curled up in a ball and before she could say anything, Isaac snaps towards her and quickly moves deeper into the bed. Lydia gasps at his sudden movement and starts to back away. Her breath is caught on her throat once more when Stiles puts his hand on her.   
        "I got 'em." Stiles says raising the two flares. "What do I do? How do I do this?"   
        " The cap, it's like a match." Lydia tells him. Stiles pulls of the cap and tries to light the flare but it wasn't working."The cap's a match, Stiles!"   
        "Yeah, I'm trying." Stiles exclaims at her before the flare finally ignites. "Ooh."   
        Stiles immediately runs to the bathroom and sticks the flare under the water. The second the flare touches Boyd's skin, the lockbox is thrown across the bathroom and Boyd is rising from the water with a loud growl. Boyd then stands up tall and seems to snap back to reality. Lydia then turns to Stiles and points under the bed. Stiles gets the message and lights the second flare.   
        "Hey, Isaac." Stiles says bringing down the flare to the frightened Isaac residing under the bed. "Got something here for you." 

*****

        Stiles and Lydia left Isaac and Boyd to pack up their things to leave. They found Allison roaming down the halls and all three of them were now making their way down the stairs and towards the bus.   
        "I can't find Scott anywhere but I did find Diana," Allison tells them. "I warned her about what was going on, but she wanted to be left alone."   
        "If she has the capability of making a decision, then we can assume she's unaffected." Stiles states.   
        "The thing is, she was acting... strange." Allison tells him. "She was... vulnerable."   
        "Do you think it's happening to her too?" Lydia asks her.   
        "It has to be." Stiles answers. "Diana is everything but vulnerable."  
        "Ok, didn't you say there was another flare on the bus?" Lydia asks Stiles.   
        "Yeah, I'll get it." Stiles says ready to run to the bus until he stops. In fact, all of them stop as they find Scott standing in the middle of the parking lot, soaked in gasoline, with the last flare in his hand.  
        "Scott..." Allison calls out, trying to hide panic behind her words. "Scott."   
        "There's no hope." Scott tells them.   
        "What do you mean, Scott?" Allison asks as they all walked closer to him. "There's always hope."   
        "Not for me." Scott answers. "Not for Derek."   
        "Derek wasn't your fault." Allison tells him. "You know Derek wasn't your fault."   
        "Every time I try to fight back, it just gets worse." Scott says, not listening to a word she was telling him. "People keep getting hurt. People keep getting killed."   
        "Scott, listen to me, okay?" Stiles says stepping forward. "This isn't you, all right? This is someone inside your head telling you to do this. Okay? Now..."   
        "What if it isn't? What if it is just me?" Scott asks him. "What if doing this is actually the best thing that I could do for everyone else? It all started that night, the night I got bitten. You remember the way it was before that? You and me. Diana didn't even know our names. It was just you and me. We were... we were... we were nothing. We weren't popular. We weren't good at lacrosse. We weren't important. We were no one. Maybe I should just be no one again. No one at all."   
        "Scott, just listen to me, okay?" Stiles says in the verge of tears. "You're not no one. Okay? You're someone, you're... Scott, you're my best friend. Okay? And I need you." Stiles steps closer to him, not pausing in his words. "Scott, you're my brother."  
        Stiles takes a deep breath as he takes a step forward. His shoes slapping down into the pool of gasoline below them.  
        "All right, so... so if you're gonna do this, then..." Stiles says as his hand latches onto the flare that Scott was holding. "I think you're just gonna have to take me with you. All right?"   
        Scott doesn't say anything, just short breaths being released as he cried. Lydia and Allison just watched, sobbing silently, as Stiles pulled the flare out of Scott's hand and threw it aside. Stiles pulls Scott into an embrace and pulls him out of the gas puddle. Everyone lets out a sigh of relief as Scott was saved. Yet nothing good ever lasts.   
        " _En el nombre del padre, del hijo, y del espirito santo. Amen_."   
        Everyone turns to find Diana picking up the still lit flare. She doesn't look at them and instead is focused intensely on the red fire.  
        " _Ashes to ashes, dust to dust._ "   
        "Diana, what are you doing?" Stiles asks as she walks past them and into the gas puddle herself.  
        "Burning in hell like I should have been so long ago," Diana answers. "I missed my window when the Hale house burned down, but this time I won't."  
        "Diana, you don't have to do this." Allison pipes in. "We're human. We all make mistakes."  
        "I stopped being human a long time ago."  
        "Please don't do this, Diana."  
        That voice took her by surprise. Almost snapped her out of her trance.  
        " _Marcos?_ " she asks as a tall figure walked into the group.  
        Everyone turned to find Isaac joining the group, tears in his eyes. The manifestation of Marcos was all in her head and it was clear to all of them that she was long gone.  
        "Diana, you can't leave me alone." Isaac continues. "You're all I have."   
        She blinks a bit before she recognizes it's Isaac in front of her.  
        "I need this," Diana whimpers, tears blurring her eyes. "I _really_ need this."  
        "What you need is to get out of there, ok?" Stiles states as he eyes the flare in her hand. Instead of doing that, Diana drops to her knees and the flare gets intensely close to the gas below.   
        " _Forgive me father for I have sinned_." Diana whispers into the night sky, hands pressed together in prayer with the flair in between her palms.   
        "Diana, get up."   
        " _I am a liar. A killer_."   
        "Diana, please stop this."   
        " _I have been a coward and I have let you down_."   
        "Diana, why are you doing this?" Isaac asks her. Diana's gaze turns away from the starry night and she looks deep into Isaac's eyes.   
        "Because then he will be free." Diana answers faintly. "Derek will be free with her and I don't have to be in the way anymore."  
        "Diana, what are you..."   
        The question is cut short as Diana tilts her head down and reveals the Mate bond on her skin. It had disappeared after Diana and Derek had finally gotten together, but now it was back which only meant one thing.   
        "He wants her now." Diana whispers. "He wants the pretty English teacher."   
        Diana closes her eyes and lets out a giggle.  
        "Diana?" Isaac asks concerned.  
        "The fire will purify my sins," Diana states as she sits up, her whole demeanor changing again. "The fire will purify my sins."  
        Her hand drops down, the flare reaching down to the gasoline below her.  
        " _El fuego va ha purificar mis pecados. El fuego va ha purificar mis pecados."  
       _Diana drops the flare into the puddle and at that second, Isaac tackles her out of the way. The whole gasoline puddle lights up in flames and Lydia lets out a pitching scream.  
        In the flames, a dark hooded figure appears and just as quickly, it's gone again. 

***************

  
Diana's POV,  _Glen Capri Motel_  
        No one dared to speak about what just occurred. Not after everything that's happened. We all wanted our demons to remain in the shadows where no one could see them. I had taken a seat by myself but Isaac had quickly come sat next to me. We didn't ask and we didn't talk. All we did was keep each other company which was enough for now. His head was now resting on my lap as he slept and I let him sleep. He needed it more than I did. The others slept as well and I kept my eyes on them for the remainder of the night. Not that they knew.  
        Morning soon came and I was relieved to see the sun rise from the horizon. I stroke Isaac's hair and could only wish of going back to the apartment so we could just live our secluded lives away from prying eyes. After revealing my scars, all I wanted was privacy. I wanted to go back to living my secluded life where no one bothered me. Isaac was the only one who knew how I was and I thanked God for sending him to me. I needed him as much as he needed me, possibly more.  
        The doors of the bus swing open and I instantly hear the chatter from the rest of the Cross Country team outside. Coach Finstock storms into the bus and he catches sight of all of us sleeping in the bus. His eyes meet mine and I just shrug at him.  
        "I don't want to know." Coach states. "I really don't want to know."  
        His loud voice jolts everyone awake and I barely manage to catch Isaac from falling off the seat.   
        "Good, I wasn't planning on telling you what happened anyways." I mutter.   
        Coach Finstock narrows his eyes at me annoyed but shakes his head.   
        "In case you missed the announcement, the meet's cancelled, so we're heading home." Coach Finstock tells us. He then turns to the rest of the team who was still outside. "Pack it in. Pack it in!"   
        Ethan is the first one to come in and he takes a seat next to Scott.   
        "I don't know what happened last night, but I'm pretty sure you saved my life." Ethan tells Scott.   
        "Actually, I saved your life, but not that it matters that much." Stiles mutters gaining a glare from Ethan. "It's just... it's minor detail."   
        "I'm gonna give you something." Ethan states. "We're pretty sure Derek's still alive."  
        "Yeah, we know." Scott answers, looking down. "Diana felt him."    
        "Ok..." Ethan answers as he looks back at me. "That doesn't change what's going to happen. He's killed one of ours. That means one of two things can happen. Either he joins our pack..."   
        "...and kills his own." I finish.   
        "Or Kali goes after him, and we kill him." Ethan tells me. "That's the way it works."  
        "You know, your little code of ethics there is sort of barbaric, just F.Y.I." Stiles comments.   
        Ethan ignores him and walks down the aisle and takes a seat. Coach Finstock walks by and for some reason Lydia calls out to him.   
        "Coach, can I see your whistle for a second?"  
        Lydia pulls it off of him but Coach wasn't too focused on getting it back. I narrow my eyes at her, confused as she smacks the whistle into her hand. She then reveals purple powder and I still as I see it.  
        "Wolfsbane." I mutter.   
        "So every time the coach blew the whistle on the bus, Scott, Diana, Isaac, Boyd..." Stiles lists off.  
        "and Ethan." Lydia states.   
        "We all inhaled it." Scott sighs out.   
        "You were all poisoned by it." Allison concludes.   
        "So that's how the Darach got in their heads." Stiles says. "That's how he did it."   
        Without hesitation, Stiles grabs the whistle out of Lydia's hands and throws it out the window. Coach yells at Stiles but I simply take off my whistle and give it to him to shut him up. I sit back on my seat and sigh. I fiddle with the collar of my shirt until I'm satisfied that it covers up the mark on my neck.   
        "So you weren't crazy last night," Isaac says beside me. "We were all just under the Darach's control."   
        I could tell that he was deeply wanting to believe that my reaction last night was because of this. That everything I was suffering to, that everything I had admitted last night was just a drug-induced lie. And because I loved Isaac as my own blood, I smiled at him and nodded. I allowed him to believe that last night was just a bad dream. It was all just a bad dream.


	7. Motel California Bonus

         Jennifer had left a while ago and Derek was left alone to look after himself. His shoulder hurt but it was nothing compared to the pain he felt of the fall. He ignored it and continued to clean up the mess of the loft. Derek had bled a trail and he couldn't forget the bed. Cora would be back and he didn't need to explain to his sister the events that had occurred hours ago. Derek had made his bed and was ready to sleep in it when a knock echoed through the hollow apartment.  
        Derek opened it believing it was Cora coming back or maybe even Scott checking up on him, but he found a tired looking Diana at his doorstep. She stared at him with an unreadable expression, which was something he was used to. It was the slight shaking of her hands that warned him that something was wrong but before he could ask her anything, her hand stilled. That should have been sign enough, but Derek didn't pay too much attention to it. Especially when that stilled hand raised and slapped him across his face.   
        The slap echoed loudly in the lonely apartment but silence pursued it afterwards. Diana's heavy breaths filled the silence quickly as she tried her best to remain in control. Derek was too much in shock to register what happened. Derek didn't think she had it in her to do it since she's been trying so hard to get on his good side these past few weeks. He had never expected that she would have slapped him this hard, especially since she looked like she had been dragged through hell.  
        "You're alive..." she breathes out. "And you're ok."   
        Her statements sounded like questions, like she needed a confirmation from him. Derek simply ran a hand over his red cheek before turning to face her.   
        "Obviously."   
        Diana huffed angrily at him, her small resolve destroyed.   
        " _You're alive._ " Diana states again as she shoves him back and forces him deeper into the apartment. "Scott almost bled to death because he wouldn't heal. You want to know why? Because he thought he killed you!"   
        Derek didn't say anything and Diana kept on going with her rant.   
        "He almost committed suicide last night!" Diana exclaims. Derek is concerned by hearing this, but Diana doesn't give him a chance to ask for an explanation as she continues to shove him back. "The guilt of having played a part of your death was so heavy in his golden soul that he was tempted to burn himself to ash last night. All the while, you were just playing hooky."   
        "I texted Scott just as soon as I was able to." Derek responds, unsure of what else to say.   
        "Was that before or after you screwed Jennifer?!" Diana asks ready to shove him back but Derek just grabs onto her hands, causing her momentum to lead her to crash into his chest. Derek growls through his teeth.   
        "How did you know-?" he begins to ask through gritted teeth but Diana shoves him away from her and tears down the collar of her coat, revealing the once familiar bite scar, the Mate mark.   
        "This appeared shortly after you did your disgusting deed." Diana says, the words burning in her tongue. "It was a very painful sensation. It was worse than when you were penetrated by a metal pole or the pain when you fell from the ledge or the pain of when you tore yourself from my pack and went to Peter. All of those pains combined would have been a great relief than what I felt last night."  
        Her voice was shaking. Her demeanor quickly shattering. Tears were in her eyes and she could barely find the words to describe what she had felt at that moment. All she wanted to do was forget this betrayal ever happened but she was marked. She was branded. Diana would forever have a reminder of that dreadful night. Her hand gently touched the sensitive scar.    
        "There was a burning sensation that every nerve in my body could feel. My brain was begging itself to shut down but my heart kept on beating. My nerves were burning, lungs were drowning, and I felt like I was dying by a thousand little cuts around my body."   
        Diana shivered unintentionally and all Derek could do was watch her in slight horror.          
        "That pain... that immense horrifying pain was heartbreak, Derek." Diana confesses to him. "You _broke_ me."     
        She shrinks into herself, trying to keep the tears inside. She tries to stop her body from shaking due to the sobs that were racking inside her. She bites her lip and presses her eyes closed, trying to calm the raging wolf inside.   
        "Diana..." Derek says, surprised as to how he sounded guilty. He takes a step closer to her, hands reaching to console her small frame, but like before, the unexpected happened.  
        Diana slaps him again and this time she draws blood.   
        Derek quickly places a hand on his cheek. Three long and deep claw marks decorated the right side of his face. There's a slight burning as his cheek begins to heal but Derek ignores it. Instead his focus flickers down to Diana's left hand which is now revealing her long claws, twitching, dripping in blood.   
        Diana had lost the last grip of control she had when she felt the blood dripping from her claws. Her wolf wanted control now. She wanted to eat the man in front of her due to the betrayal of not only Diana but the she-wolf herself. She was in between two sets of mind; the scorned woman and the angry she-wolf.   
        Her claws latched onto his chest, tearing up the just healed skin. Derek raises his arms in defense and those too were scratched up. Diana growled, her red eyes glowing, and she pushed Derek across the loft. His back hits the floor with a loud thud and the air is knocked out of him. Diana quickly runs towards him before jumping. In mid-air, she shifts completely into her wolf.   
        The white wolf pounced on her mate that laid on the floor breathless. Blood was everywhere but the wounds were quickly healing. Derek looked up at her with shock but wasn't fighting back. The she-wolf knew she should have registered this as defeat but she was too angry. Instead, she let out a glass-shaking growl as she snapped her jaw towards his neck. Before her teeth could latch onto the skin, the door of the apartment slides open. This immediately breaks the heavy tension in the room as Peter and Cora barge into the room.  
        The she-wolf shifts back and a nude Diana is loosely pinning down Derek. Her sobs are the only thing that everyone can hear. The tears dropping, hitting onto Derek's bleeding chest. Diana is forcing herself to stop as she looks down at Derek.   
        "I almost died too, Derek. If you even still care about me, I _almost_ died for you." Diana confesses to him. "I was ready to set myself to burn. You weren't answering my calls or texts. I begged you for another miracle, Derek. For you to be alive. I just needed one stupid phone call, one simple text. Just something to prove that I didn't lose you!"  
        Diana lets out a humorless laugh into the empty air.   
        "I actually thought I might have meant something to you." She laughs out dryly. "I thought that even though I had lied to you the entire time, that you still held me at some sort of regard. Some sort of mild respect at least, but you're just a dog."   
        She closes her eyes tightly and takes a shaky breath.   
        "You slept with her," Diana whispers. "How long have you even known her, Derek? Five full minutes? Is that how you do it? You get yourself into a near death experience and let women take care of you and then you get laid? Is that your ploy?"   
        Derek didn't know how to respond. He was at a loss of words, but the time had passed as Diana looked down at him with pure, agonizing pain. She was an open book which was a first.   
        "Part of me wants to believe it was wolfsbane that influenced my thoughts of suicide, but I know that's not true." Diana tells him with a shake of her head. "I know that's not true. I'm so racked with guilt. My family, your family, the lies and the secrets... I still _love_ you and I knew there was no way I would ever get you back. I genuinely wanted to die. The heartbreak is too much to bear."   
        Derek opens his mouth to say something but Diana's gentle facade fades quickly and she quickly shoves him back down.  
        "Screw you, Derek." Diana grits out. "You got what you wanted. You  _broke_ me. You won."  
        After she said this, Peter immediately takes off his leather coat and covers Diana's naked body. He forces her to pull away from Derek and helps her up to her feet. Cora immediately runs over to check over Derek, but Derek was fine and already standing. The sight of Peter helping Diana caused his shoulder to hurt and he instantly steps towards them, letting a growl through his teeth.   
        "We're done." Diana grits out, not daring to look at him. His jealous act was not phasing her in any way. She was truly done with him. "You don't get to act like the jealous werewolf you are. You don't get to think you and I are tied together. You don't get to treat me like the villain because believe me Derek, I've been playing nice this whole time but cross me again and I will  _end_ you."   
        Derek takes a step back, unaware that Diana had a dark side like this. Her red eyes showed defiantly to him and he stepped away like he was merely a beta following orders from his Alpha. Diana's red eyes fade away and tiredness weighs heavily on her.   
        "You should have killed me when I gave you the chance," Diana says tiredly as Peter tugged her away from Derek and his loft. "You should have just killed me."    
        The loft was filled with a heavy silence as Peter helped Diana out. Cora was just watching them go knowing that technically she should have sided with her brother, especially since he was the one who was wounded, but her heart laid with Diana. She's been through hell like the rest of them, and she was still being dragged in it. Cora didn't say any of this and instead turned to her brother.   
        "You should probably get that checked out," Cora states pointing to the bite mark on his shoulder. Without another word she leaves her brother behind and heads towards her room, leaving Derek alone again.   
        The new shirt he had put on was now torn to shreds and Derek just tears it off. All of the claw marks he's received were healed now and his eyes stray away to what Cora had pointed out earlier. His hands trace the Mate mark that had appeared on his shoulder unknowingly. He was forever marked. Derek was branded. Every time he caught sight of the Mate mark he will remember his act of betrayal, his guilt, and the loneliness he was left behind with.


	8. Currents

Third POV,  _Diana's Loft_

  
        Isaac watched as she slowly made her way into the loft. The leather jacket barely covered her nude body and as much as he wanted to ask her what happened, he didn't. The look on Diana's face was enough answer to show that her reunion with Derek wasn't a good one. She gave Isaac a half-hearted smile before ascending up the stairs to shower and change.  
        Isaac waited until he heard the shower running before he made the phone call. It dialed for a while before Scott finally picked up. From what Scott and Stiles gathered from an incident last night, two doctors had gone missing and they were presumed dead. The sacrifices were happening again with healers being the darach's choice. Scott was supervising his mother who was a nurse while Isaac was tasked to look over Diana. Now that she was home, it made it easier for Isaac to look after her.   
        " _How is she?_ " Scott asked Isaac, having not heard a word from Diana since the night of the motel.   
        "She just got back from Derek's loft," Isaac tells him. "She was only wearing a leather jacket, no clothes under."   
        " _Which means..."  
        _"Which means she got really pissed and shifted to her wolf form." Isaac finishes for him.   
        " _Do you want me to come over?_ " Scott asked him.   
        "No, I can handle her." Isaac sighs out. "It's just..."   
        " _It's just what?_ " Scott asked concerned.   
        "I'm worried."   
        Scott sighs as he hears this.  
        " _We're all worried, Isaac._ "  
        Isaac took a deep breath and merely nodded, even though Scott couldn't see it.  
        " _Just keep an eye on her."_ Scott orders Isaac. " _The Darach has already targeted her once and we barely snapped her out of it in time."_  
"Ok," Isaac replies. "You don't have to tell me twice."   
        Isaac hangs up on the late night phone call and looks upstairs. As usual, the apartment was in complete silence. Isaac could barely hear the shower still running upstairs. He waited until the shower had stopped and Diana's heart beats slowly.   
        He grabbed a pillow and the wool blanket from the couch before trekking up the stairs towards Diana's bedroom. He quietly opened the door and settled on the love seat in the corner of the room. Isaac watched over her, eased that her sleep seemed to be bare of any nightmares. He settled down deeper into his seat and found himself falling into deep sleep as well.   
        It was the direct sunlight hitting her face that stirred her from her sleep. She let out a quiet groan as she rubbed her face of any tiredness. Diana knew it was time to start getting ready for work so when she finally sat up from her bed did she take notice that she wasn't alone in her room.   
        "Really Isaac?" Diana mutters under her breath. She grabbed one of the throw pillows from her bed and threw it to the innocent sleeping face. Isaac jumped from the seat, startled by the pillows impact. Isaac finally takes notice of where he was and turns to a serious Diana. "Is there a particular reason as to why you're sleeping in my room?"   
        "Uh... I was watching over you." Isaac replies as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Scott and I wanted to make sure you weren't the third sacrifice."  
        "Why would I be the third sacrifice?" Diana asks as she moved out of her bed.  
        "They're targeting healers," Isaac tells her. "Two doctors went missing last night, one of them was found dead."  
        "Ok..." Diana sighs out. "But if you were supposed to keep an eye on me, don't you need to actually have your eyes _open?"  
        _Isaac chuckles at Diana's jab as he rubbed his neck nervously.   
        "Yeah I might've dozed off a little bit."  
        "My hero." Diana sarcastically says as she placed a hand over her heart. She was ready to leave her room to start on breakfast when she stopped in her tracks. "Wait, didn't you say that they were all doctors? How does that apply to me?"  
        "Yeah, but it could just come under any kind of healer." Isaac tells her. "From what I can gather, being a nurse and our werewolf caretaker is enough to consider you a healer of sorts."  
        Diana shakes his head at Isaac before making her way downstairs.  
        "Well Isaac, I didn't get my ass kicked and tortured for three years of my life to be easily kidnapped." Diana shouts out to him. "So don't you worry your little cute head of yours. I'm not gonna be anyone's human sacrifice today, so get your butt ready for school. We're not going to be late again." 

************

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills High School_

  
        Scott and Stiles had quickly settled into their chemistry class. Jennifer had walked in and Scott turned frigid as she entered the room. It was a subtle scent, but he could still detect it. The faint scent of Derek was still lingering in her skin which explained Diana's behavior. Stiles noticed his friend's rigid state but before he could ask anything about it, Jennifer spoke up.   
        "Good morning." Jennifer greeted. "As you all know, Mr. Harris is still missing... I mean, sick. Anyway, I'm filling in while we all hope and pray for a more qualified substitute to take my place. Okay, so let's get started, shall we?"  
        The whole class was basically another free period in which Stiles already knew how to spend it.   
        "Ok so my dad said that the E.R. attending wasn't strangled but did die from asphyxiation." Stiles tells Scott. "They just don't know how."  
        "Do you think the on-call doctor could still be alive?" Scott asked him.  
        "I don't know... But, Scott, there's got to be at least 20 other doctors in that hospital, you know? Any one of them could be next."  
        Scott was about to respond to that before his phone starts buzzing in his pocket. He takes notice that its Dr. Deaton and quickly answers.   
        "Hey, doc. Sorry, I'm in class right now. Can I call you back later?"  
        " _Unfortunately, no. I honestly thought I might never have to burden you like this, but I'm afraid, at the moment, you're my only hope._ " Dr. Deaton calmly states, causing Scott to frown in worry. " _I'm going to be taken. I need you to find me._ "  
"Doc, doc, doc, doc?" Scott asks before realizing the phone call was cut off. "What's happening?"   
        Scott didn't even wait to ask for permission to slip out. Without even consulting Stiles, Scott left the room and quickly made his way towards the coaches offices. Scott was about to burst into Diana's office before he realized the argument occurring inside.   
        "They came this morning." Cora tells Diana. "Painted a warning. Kali is coming after him tonight."   
        "I'm not going back there." [Diana states. ](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=213595804)  
        "Without you, my brother will die." Cora argued back.  
        "I can't do anything for him, ok?" Diana grits out. "After what he did to me and after the way he has treated me, what right does he have to ask me for help?"   
        "He doesn't and honestly, he didn't send me to ask you for help." Cora confesses to her. "I'm asking you to help me, friend to friend... sister to sister."   
        Diana sighs at this as she paced around the small room.   
        "Kali is coming after him," Diana says out loud. "Whether he kills one of our own, or he pays with his life."  
        "They're coming tonight," Cora tells her.  
        Diana ran a hand through her hair and that's when Scott decided to knock on the door. Both she-wolves looked up at him as he cracked the door open.  
        "I'm sorry to interrupt but we have another problem." Scott states.  
        Diana's face was one of full stress as she beckoned Scott in.  
        "What is it now, Scott?" Diana asked the young beta.  
        "It's Deaton," Scott states. "He just called. He's been taken by the Darach."  
        All color that was still on Diana's face disappeared as those words came out of his mouth.  
        "No," she whispers as she sat down on her chair. "No... not him."  
        Cora and Scott watched as Diana was barely keeping it together with the two problems that had fallen onto her lap.  
        "I'm sorry, Cora." Diana sighs out after a silent minute. "But Deaton... he's the one who's protected me and cares for me after everything I've done. I owe it to him to not be sacrificed."  
        As much as Cora wanted to be upset at her decision, she couldn't blame Diana. From what she recalled in their high school years, Deaton had been a father to her when her own father wasn't.  
        "I understand. I just..." Cora sighed out.   
        "Isaac and Boyd." Diana states, offering some sort of compromise. "They're part of Derek's pack. I'll text them right now to head over there and give Derek some manpower. Boyd told me of a good plan of his that will work in this situation."   
        "Ok, well if they're going over there then I'll stay here with you." Cora tells her.   
        "What?" Diana asked surprised.   
        "My brother has his betas at his side, you need some on your own side." Cora replies. "Maybe a friend too."   
        Diana sighed in relief as she said that and nodded. She turned to Scott, now one hundred percent focused on one single cause.   
        "Tell me, word for word, what Deaton told you before he got taken." 

*************

Third POV,  _Derek's Loft_

  
        Isaac and Boyd slid the door closed. They looked around the apartment, taking it in with the new lighting coming from the direct sunlight. They didn't make it too far into the loft before Derek called out to them, unhappy with their visit.   
        "Go back to school."  
        "Well, actually, we can't." Isaac tells Derek, who was lounging in his stairs while reading a book. "Boyd and I are incredibly and unbelievably sick."  
        "With what, brain damage?" Derek asked annoyed.  
        "Well, I have a migraine, and, uh, Boyd here has explosive diarrhea."  
        "We're here to protect you." Boyd states cutting to the chase.  
        "You're here to protect me?" Derek asked amused. "Well, I'm in trouble then."  
        "Actually, Boyd here came up with a plan." Isaac says as he took a seat while Derek made their way towards them.  
        "Yeah, I thought about the time Gerard had me and Erica locked up, tied up with electrical wires pushing current through us." Boyd explained to Derek. "I was wondering how we could do something like that... But on a bigger scale."   
        Boyd opened the bag with him and pulled out the extension cords, dropping them to the floor with a loud thud. Isaac quickly grabbed the hose from the bag and connected it to a nearby water spout. He turned the water on, letting it flow to the concrete floor.  
        "In a pool of electrified water, it can take up to 50 milliamps to kill a normal human, less than the power it takes to turn on a light bulb." Boyd told Derek.   
        "That's comforting." Derek huffs out, still on the fence with this plan they made up.   
        "If we disable the circuit interrupter in the building's electrical room, the current will keep coming, and anyone who steps foot in here, they'll get a pretty shocking surprise." Boyd explains.   
        "Especially someone who's barefoot." Isaac says cracking a grin at Derek, who slowly, but surely was getting on board with their plan. 

**************

Diana's POV, _Beacon Hills_ _Animal Clinic_

        Scott and I sped towards the clinic in hopes of catching something. There was a brief flicker of hope that we would still find Deaton and fend of this darach. Scott didn't even wait for me to park the car as he stepped out of the moving vehicle and sprinted to the front door. I kept forgetting that just like me, Deaton was like a father to Scott. I ran after him once I got the chance and found the Sheriff with his deputy already waiting for us inside.  
        "How did you know?" Scott asked the Sheriff.           
        "Stiles called me as soon as you left school." the Sheriff answered. "I'm sorry. Your boss's car is still here, and the back door was wide open."  
        Scott seemed to have lost all breath and resolution as he took a seat on the sofa. I couldn't help but let out a shaky breath as I tried to keep my emotions in check. The Sheriff looked at Scott and I with an empathetic expression.  
        "Diana, Scott... I need you to tell me everything."   
        I let out a sigh, knowing that there were details we would have to leave out, but we couldn't lie to the Sheriff entirely.   
        "Scott got a phone call during his class," I shakily let out, part of it was acting and part of it wasn't. "He uh... Deaton told him that he feared he was the next target. He didn't say anything much else. The phone call ended before Scott could say anything. Scott then came to find me and told me what happened."   
        A few tears escaped my eyes and I wasn't sure how far this was going. I knew how to act around authorities, I was trained to able to defy the law, but right now I was ready to blurt out the whole honest truth. Deaton was the only genuine family I had left. I couldn't lose him and it seemed that Scott couldn't lose him either.   
        "We may not be related by blood, but Sheriff... Deaton is the only person I consider as family." I confess to him. "I can't afford any more loss."   
        The Sheriff nodded sadly at me, glancing down at Scott and then back at me.   
        "All right, we will do everything we can." the Sheriff states before going to talk to his deputy. A few minutes later, Stiles arrived to the clinic and joined us.  
        "Stiles, what are you doing here?" I ask him, trying to wipe away the remaining tears.  
        "Wanted to make sure both of you were ok," Stiles replies as I take a seat next to Scott. "Did you guys find anything?"  
        "Nothing," Scott sighs out. "I can't smell anything out of place and everything is just like he left it. No signs of a struggle."  
        The Sheriff wasn't even surprised to find Stiles here. I could see how quickly his resolve had diminished at the sight of his son in another crime scene.  
        "Ok, here's what we're going to do," the Sheriff states as he walks back over to us. "Right now, the best thing you can do is go back to school."  
        I nodded at that and motioned for Scott and Stiles to get up. Scott motions over to another room and I close the shutter of the window.  
        "We have to tell him." Scott tells Stiles.  
        "You mean, like, _tell him, tell him_ , or tell him something else that isn't _telling him_ what I think you want to tell him?" Stiles asks flabbergasted.  
        "You know what he means, Stiles." I sigh out. "And honestly I can't see a problem with it. Your dad has more resources than I do."  
        "Ok but do you remember how Scott's mom reacted?" Stiles exclaims. "She didn't look you in the eye for, like, a week."  
        "And she got over it, and... and it actually made us closer." Scott argued.  
        "I don't know, dude. I mean, look at him." Stiles states as he points out to his dad. "Come on, he's completely overwhelmed as it is."  
        "He's overwhelmed because he has no clue what's happening." I answer. "He's got people dying in his town, the town that he's supposed to protect."   
        "It's not his fault that he doesn't know what's happening." Scott tells Stiles. "He's gonna find out sooner or later."  
        "Yeah, but is now really the right time?" Stiles asks us.  
        "What if not telling him now gets someone else killed?" Scott asks him instead.  
        "What if telling him gets him killed, huh?" Stiles argues before sighing. "I mean, okay, look, I get that Deaton's been like a father to you... to both of you, I get that, okay? But this is m... Scott, this is my actual father. I can't... I can't lose both of my parents, all right? Not both of them."  
        I turn away from the window and look back at Stiles.  
        "You're right," I tell Stiles.   
        "No, I'm not." Stiles sighs out, taking another glance at his father. "I'm not right. I'll tell him."  
        "I'll help you." Scott tells him as he opens the door. Right as we all step through, we catch of Marin Morell speaking to the police.  
        "Please, whatever you need, however you can help find my brother." Marin says calmly to the Sheriff.  
        "Brother?" Stiles and Scott ask at the same time, surprised at the news.   
        "This motherfucking bitch," I mutter under my breath, still not over her siding with the Alpha pack.  
        "Will you excuse us for a moment?" the Sheriff asks her, leaving the office to respond to a radio call. Marin smiles at him, nodding kindly, before that very sympathetic expression disappears once the Sheriff stepped out of those doors. She quickly walked over to us.  
        "Okay, listen closely, the three of you." Marin states, leaving no room for argument. "No sheriff, deputy, or detective is going to be able to find him."  
        "You don't have to ask us for help." I tell her.  
        "Actually, I'm trying to help you," Marin replies. "Because, if you're going to find my brother, then you need to use the one person who might actually have an ability to seek out the supernatural."  
        I look at her confused before Stiles sighed beside me.  
        "Lydia." 

************

  
Third POV,  _Beacon Hills High School_  
        Their relationship had managed to hide under a lot of people's noses. It might have to do with the life-threatening matters that kept on popping up, but it was a secret nonetheless. Lydia and Aiden managed to sneak secret make-out sessions throughout the school day, except for this one time that the fire alarm went off. Aiden sneaked away first, and Lydia was about to head out before she opened the door to find Cora Hale on the other side.   
        "You don't have very good taste in guys, do you?" Cora chastises her.   
        Lydia rolled her eyes at that before attempting to walk around her, Cora only blocked her again.   
        "Is there a problem?" Lydia asked annoyed.  
        "Yeah, Derek, Diana, and anyone with a good sense of mind would like to kindly ask you to stop seeing Aiden." Cora states. "Which means that if I catch you with him again, I'm not going to pull the fire alarm. I'm going to pull your tongue out of your head."  
        Lydia couldn't help but laugh at the threat.   
        "Sweetheart, my last boyfriend was a homicidal lizard, so I think I can handle a werewolf."  
        With that said, Lydia reached for the door handle but Cora caught her wrist. Lydia tugged it back but Cora wasn't easing her hold.   
        "Let go." Lydia grits out. "I said..."           
        "Let go." Stiles pipes in nervously. Cora and Lydia turn towards him in surprise. "She said, let go."

************

Diana's POV,  _Beacon Hills High School_

  
        Stiles had gone to search for Lydia while Scott stayed with me as I grabbed one of my emergency bags that I hid in my office. Stiles had just texted us that he had found Lydia and he and Cora were going to start asking her about Deaton. Scott and I were just about to reach my office and go join them when Scott suddenly froze in the middle of the hallway. I was just about to ask him what was going on when I could distantly here the rhythmic tapping.   
        We slowly made our way down the opposite hallway following the steady tapping. My senses were heightening as I could only hear that tapping. Scott opened the door of the music room and we both found Deacalion seated at the piano, tapping his cane.   
        "Do you know what a metronome is?" Deucalion asked us as he stopped tapping. "It's a tool to help you maintain a steady rhythm once you've set the tempo. Something tells me the tempo of both of your lives has sped up considerably in the last few hours. If you'd like, I could help slow it down to a more manageable pace."  
        "How?" Scott asked him.  
        "By helping you find Deaton."   
        Scott takes a threatening step forwards and I pull him back. Unlike mine, I could feel his heart beating fast in his chest.   
        "Your heart's pounding, but it's not fear." Deucalion states, taking notice of the same thing I did. "It's anger. I bet I know what you're thinking. Does he have something to do with Deaton's disappearance?"  
        "Calm down," I whisper to Scott, but he doesn't pay my words much mind.  
        "Tell you what." Deucalion states as he stands up from his seat. "If you can take the cane away from me, I'll tell you exactly where he is. Now, what do you think?"   
        "Scott don't..." I begin to warn but Scott took a running start and lunged at Deucalion. I stepped away as Scott was thrown back and Deucalion twirled his cane with an admiring agility. Scott flipped over the table, managing to avoid getting hit by the cane, but he came nowhere near into catching the cane on it's own.   
        At some point, Deucalion pulled the cap of the end of the cane off, revealing a small blade. Scott managed to avoid the sharp edge until Deucalion caught him in mid-landing, stabbing him in the shoulder. Deucalion stepped away from Scott and I immediately ran up to him, holding pressure into the bleeding wound.   
        "Are we done playing games now?" I ask as I look up at Deucalion. "Are you going to help us or not?"  
        Deucalion ignored my question as he placed the cap back on the cane.  
        "Impressive, Scott." Deucalion comments. "But you two know I'm not the one slashing up innocent people, praying to ancient gods or gathering herbs, or whatever the hell druids are supposed to do."  
        "Of course we know that," I spit out.  
        "Now Diana, patience..." Deucalion chastises me, tapping his cane on my shoulder. "I am part of a pack that wants Derek dead. Kali is coming him for him, so there's a difficult choice you two are about to face, because someone is going to die tonight, and whether that's Derek or Deaton, that's up to you."  
        "Just tell me where he is." Scott grits out through pained teeth.  
        "I'll give you a very important clue." Deucalion tells us. "Let the _current_ guide you."  
        With that said, Deucalion took his leave. I look down at Scott, his heart was still pounding fast, but was now slowing down. The wound was taking a while to heal and I kept the pressure on it. With one deep breath, Scott got to his feet, tired and a bit confused, we both made our way out of the room.

***********

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills High School_

  
        Stiles had tried everything his mind could come up with when it came to Lydia's supernatural connection. As usual, Lydia refused to believe she had a part of any of it which showed through her snarky responses to everything Stiles made her do. The ouija board did nothing but create an argument between Lydia and Cora. The next thing Stiles tried was the psychometry in which Lydia fully reminded him that she was no psychic. That also resulted in nothing. There was one more thing Stiles came up with and it was the last shot they all had.   
        "Automatic writing?" Lydia asked Stiles as he presented paper and a pencil. Stiles simply nodded at that and Lydia took the pencil and began an outline.  
        "Lydia, what are you doing?" Stiles exclaimed as he sat the beginning of a drawing."What... what the hell is that?"    
        "A tree." Lydia responds as she continued with her sketch.  
        "A tree..." Stiles muttered annoyed. "Lydia, you're supposed to be writing words, like in sentences, something like a location, something that would tell us where Deaton is."    
        "Well, maybe you should've said that." Lydia responds continuing with her drawing.  
        "Isn't she supposed to be some kind of genius?" Cora asks Stiles.  
        "Genius? Yes." Lydia responds before looking up at Stiles. "Psychic, no. Honestly, I don't know why you're even bothering with me anyway." Lydia tells Stiles before focusing on her drawing once more. "I mean, especially since it's obvious you should be talking to Danny."  
        "What?" Stiles asked her. "Why Danny?"  
        "Because... Last night, he was a target." Scott says as he entered the room, Diana a step behind him. "But he wasn't a sacrifice." 

 

_Beacon Hills Hospital_

  
        Melissa was currently taking the day shift when she took notice of the Sheriff stepping out of the elevator. She quickly ran after him, catching up to him as he made his way down to the hospital's morgue. It was in her mind to help the Sheriff in whatever way she could seeing that he was still in the dark about all of the things going on in Beacon Hills.   
        "Hey," Melissa greeted him, taking notice of his stressed expression. "It's Dr. Hilyard, isn't it?"  
        "Yeah." the Sheriff sighed out.  
        "Oh, God. Okay." Melissa says, trying to wrap her mind about the sudden death. "Did she have ligature marks around her throat?"  
        "No." the Sheriff answered before backtracking. "Wait how do you know about that?"  
        "I need you to take a look at the other body with me." Melissa states as she opened the door to the morgue. "I think I know how they both died, and I think it's gonna help you find Scott's boss."  
        "The problem with no ligature marks around the neck is that both doctors were still asphyxiated, so the question is... "  
        "How did they suffocate if they weren't strangled?" the Sheriff asked.  
        "Right." Melissa replies as she rolls the body out of the freezer. She pulls out the hand from Dr.Charles and shows the ligature marks around the wrists. "Now, take a look at the wrist marks. What do they tell you?"  
        "His hands were tied." Sheriff states.  
        "Not just tied. Look how deep they go." Melissa says as she motioned to the deep wounds. "I don't think that's just from struggling to get out. I think he was suspended. Hanging like that, that means they would have to keep lifting their bodies up in order to breathe. Eventually, they would lose strength and they wouldn't be able to lift themselves up. It's how people used to die from crucifixion."  
        "So you think Deaton is somewhere right now, hanging by his wrists?" the Sheriff asked her.  
        "Yeah."  
        "And when he no longer has the strength to pull himself up to catch a breathe, how long before he dies?" the Sheriff asked her.  
        "Minutes." Melissa answered, rolling the body back into the freezer. 

************

Diana's POV,  _Beacon Hills High School/Hospital_

  
        While I patched up Scott did they begin to explain what had happened to Danny the night before. Apparently he had been poisoned with mistletoe and had been hospitalized. The coincidence of his relationship with Ethan and the mistletoe were signs that he had been targeted by the Darach too. But the question remained as to why?   
        "But isn't Danny still in the hospital?" Cora asked Stiles and Scott.  
        "Yeah." Stiles answers. "That's where we're going right now."  
        We all start to leave the room before Scott turns around to face us.   
        "I'll meet you there."  
        "Why?" I ask. "Where are you going?"   
        Scott merely holds up his phone revealing a text from Allison saying she might have found something that could help us. I sigh as Scott looks up at me with concern.   
        "Go," I tell him, easing the tension in his body. "Call me when you found something."   
        Scott nods at this and starts to run down the hall. Stiles, Lydia, Cora and I start to make our way down the opposite way, piling up in Stiles' car. Stiles quickly sped through the road and we reached the hospital in no time. The place was slow and Stiles and I decided to go inside while Cora and Lydia stayed behind.   
        Stiles and I managed to slip past the front desk. I quickly snagged a nearby white coat and shrugged it on. Once Stiles found Danny's room did I scan the hallway before making our way in. I took up the clipboard at the end of Danny's bed and flip through the pages which mapped out his diagnosis and the procedure done to him.   
        "Danny, you awake?" Stiles whispers to a sleeping Danny. "Danny?"  
        "He's heavily sedated, Stiles." I answer as I look over the board and point to the IV in Danny's arm. This only led Stiles to slap Danny in the face, gaining no response from him. One last strong slap caused Danny to jolt up a bit and I glared at Stiles.  
        "Wow." Stiles says taking a step back. I quickly motioned him away from Danny as I clicked the pain alleviating button to give him another dose.  
        "Are you sure that's safe?" Stiles asked me.  
        "It'll help him with the pain and will keep him drowsy." I answer to him. Stiles was hesitant to trust my word but didn't continue to question it.  
        "Danny's bag is here," Stiles tells me as he begins to open it. I set the medical clipboard back and walk up to Stiles.  
        "What are you doing?"  
        Stiles and I both look up to find Danny semi-conscious and looking right at us.  
        "We're not doing anything, Danny." Stiles whispers to him. "This is just a dream that you're having."  
        Stiles then returns to looking through the notebooks and folders in the bag.  
        "Are you going through my stuff?" Danny asked.  
        "Right, but only in the dream, remember?" Stiles whispers to him again. "Dream. You're dreaming."  
        "Why would I dream about you going through my stuff?" Danny asked confused.  
        Stiles turns to me, not knowing how to respond, and I didn't either.   
        "I don't know that, Danny, okay? It's your dream. Take responsibility for it." Stiles snaps at him. "Shut up and go back to sleep."  
        I was surprised by Stiles' annoyed tone but Danny seems to brush it off and doze off again, the pain medicine finally taking it's effect. Stiles stops going through Danny's bag and pulls out a report.   
        "Danny boy, you might've actually found something here."   
        Stiles lifts up the paper report and hands it to me. The reason as to why Danny was targeted by the Darach was right in my hands. 

         _Telluric Currents Research Project Proposal  
By Danny Mahealani_  


        I take the coat off and we both start to make our way out of the hospital. Stiles quickly started calling Scott as we made our way inside the jeep. Scott quickly picked up, telling us about the current dilemna, since Allison had found something.   
        " _So Allison's father has been tracking and marking everything. Cora and Boyd at the bank, the Alphas in the penthouse above us, all of the dead bodies. He has a symbol for where someone was taken, and then a different mark for where the bodies are found. The weird thing is there's only been_   _six sacrifices, but there are 12 markings on the map."_  
        "Meaning that Chris knows where they're going to be found next," I state.  
        " _Deaton's got to be at one of the six locations, but they're all over town._ " Scott sighs out. " _I don't know how we can get to all of them fast enough."_  
        "Well, we might not have to." Stiles pipes in. "Danny was doing a project on something for Mr. Harris's physics class, and I think it actually means something."  
        " _What project?_ "  
        "Something on telluric currents." I tell Scott.  
 _"Did you say currents?"_  
        "Yeah," I answer as I recalled Deucalion's hint.   
        _"Meet me in the Clinic."_  


**************

Third POV,  _Derek's Loft_

  
        The whole apartment was filled with half a foot of water. Isaac, Boyd, and Derek were all huddled in a few pieces of wood, avoiding the current that was circling around the water. The sun had already set and they were all patiently waiting for Kali to arrive. Isaac scanned the apartment once more, bored out of his mind with the silence, when he takes notice of the absence of the red light from the alarm system.   
        "Isn't the light on that supposed to be on?" Isaac asked Derek as he pointed it out to him.  
        As Derek took notice of the dead red light did he let out a sigh.  
        "Yeah."  
        "What does it mean if it's not?" Isaac asked him.  
        "Someone cut the auxiliary power." Derek tells him.  
        "What about the main..." Boyd begins to ask before all of the lights from the loft are cut off.  
        Boyd and Isaac shoot up to their feet and looked down at the water. Derek steps to the edge of the wood plank, slowly stepping into the water. He walked into the middle of the loft and faced the front door.  
        "Derek..." Isaac says concerned. "What do we do now?"  
        Derek looked up from the water and glared at the front door, his red Alpha eyes shinning through.   
        "We fight."  
        The door creaks and moans before it's slid open. By that time, Boyd and Isaac flanked Derek's side as Kali made a solo appearance.  
        "Gonna be honest, Derek." Kali states as she slowly makes her way into the loft. "When Ennis died, I thought to myself I'd just go for it. Find you and kill you, wherever you stood. Then I remembered how you surround yourself with these teenagers, hiding behind them, and I thought, _what's a girl got to do to get you alone?_ "  
        At that moment, Aidan and Ethan drag in Jennifer Blake to the front door and Derek stops as he catches sight of her. Kali couldn't help but chuckle as she caught the Alpha off guard.   
        "You and me Derek, or they tear her apart." Kali states. "What do you say? You think you can beat me one on one?"  
        Derek lets his wolf face out and growls. He motions for Isaac and Boyd to leave his side, facing Kali alone.   
        "I'm gonna rip your throat out with my teeth." Derek growls before lunging after her. 

*************

Diana's POV,  _Beacon Hills Animal Clinic_

 

        We all set up our findings on the medical table. Stiles set down the paper that Danny had written with a folded map down. Scott had printed off the pictures that he took from Chris' marked map and set the scattered images on the table. We all looked at the two packets trying to find the connection in between them.  
        "Okay, so, what does this kid's homework have to do with finding Deaton?" Cora asked.  
        "Because it's not just homework, okay?" Stiles explains. "It's a project on geomagnetic fields. They flow through the earth. They can even be affected by lunar phases, all right?"  
        I open up the report and show it to Cora, Lydia and Scott.  
        "Look at this." I say pointing the red written note. "This is a note from Harris on Danny's proposal."  
        " _I strongly advise you to choose another subject_." Lydia reads out loud. " _The ideas here, while innovative and thoughtful, border on pseudo-science. Not suitable for class_."  
        "Harris wasn't just a sacrifice." Scott states. "He knew something."  
        "Now, check this out." Stiles continues as he unfolds Danny's map. "Allison's dad wasn't the only one with a map, all right? Danny had one too. Danny marked all the telluric currents, okay? Now, the weird thing about Beacon Hills is that it actually is a _beacon_. You wouldn't believe how much energy flowing through the earth is around this town."  
        "Stiles, look, they match." Scott states as he aligns Chris' map with Danny's.  
        "All right, there's three places, right?" I ask as a mark up Danny's map. "Where they're kidnapped, and then the place where their body was found."  
        "Look, that's right on the telluric current." Lydia points out.  
        "So, maybe where he was sacrificed is somewhere in between." Scott concludes.  
        "Let me see that." Stiles asks and I hand over the pen. "You said there's six more bodies to be found. Deaton's one of them. Got to be somewhere in between, right?"  
        Stiles was calculating one of the telluric currents until Cora grabbed his hand and halted him.   
        "Stop." Cora tells him before his moving his hands upwards. "He's in the vault. He's in the _same_ vault."  
        I look down at the map and take notice of the insignia. The same bank vault that held Cora and Boyd for three long months.  
        There was no time to waste as we packed up our stuff, ready to leave. I was just about to follow after Scott when I noticed that Cora was staying behind.  
        "Guys, hold on." I call out to them.  
        "Diana, we don't have time." Scott argues before he takes notice of Cora's fallen expression.  
        "What is it?" I ask concerned.   
        "It's Boyd." she tells me. "The plan didn't work. They cut the power."  
        "It's just like he said." I whisper as I turned to Scott. "It's either Derek or Deaton."  
        It was a hard decision to make. Deaton, the man who has saved me countless times or Derek, the man who I still somehow loved and care for after everything he put me through.  
        "Go." Scott tells me, snapping me out of my haze.  
        "What?" I ask surprised.  
        "I can save Deaton myself." Scott tells me. "You go save Derek. I know you want to."  
        I couldn't help but sigh in relief as Scott made the decision for me.   
        "Thank you," I whisper.  
        "Scott, what about us?" Stiles asked him.  
        "Diana and Cora can't get there fast enough without you." Scott tells him. "Go now. We can save both of them."  
        "All right, let's go." I shout to Stiles. "There's no time to waste." 

************

Third POV,  _Derek's Loft_

  
        They danced around each other, water splashing around with each move they made. Kali avoided his attacks and Derek did the same. Jennifer struggled agains the hold between the two Alpha twins that were currently holding her, crying out when Derek got slashed twice by Kali.   
        Stiles and Lydia shared a look before looking back at Diana who was holding Cora's hand very tightly against her own. Both of the she-wolves expression were sign enough for Stiles to press the gas and drive faster.   
        Kali's growl echoed in the dark chambers of Derek's loft. She was currently standing on top of the table as Derek lunged after her. She avoided his hits and pushed him face first into the water. Derek slides across the loft, completely soaked, before emitting a growl of his own and getting up. Kali jumped off the table and kicked Derek in the face, causing him to be thrown across the floor once more.   
        "Derek!" Jennifer shrieked, seeing the werewolf being beaten.  
        Isaac was ready to go after the twins but Derek turned to him and screamed no. Isaac held back his own attack and pushed Boyd behind him. The fight between Kali and Derek continued and the two betas were forced to watch.  
        Cora led Stiles, Diana, and Lydia through the building and immediately opened the door to the generator. We looked at all of the switches on the board that were shut off.   
        "Okay, what do we do?" Stiles ask Cora.  
        "We pull them." Cora answers. "Pull all of them."   
        Stiles, Lydia, and Cora began to switch all of the levers up. The humming of the generator quickly beginning to hum to life. Diana pulled out her phone and sent Isaac a text of warning. All of the lights turned on and she felt the electricity running through her. The text of warning was sent too late.  
       Isaac was able to avoid the shock and tackled Ms. Blake down as the Alpha twins ran toward the water. Boyd was caught mid-sprint, trying to tackle Derek away from the water, but getting shocked in the midst of it. Kali had Derek under her hold when both of them felt the electricity stunning them both. The surge of power quickly disappeared, leaving everyone if the aftermath gasping for air.  
        "Take him!" Kali shouts to the twins.  
        Before Derek could even stand, Ethan and Aidan pull Derek's claws up in the air while Kali grabs Boyd and drops him against Derek's extended claws. The blood starts to drip down his hand as Boyd gasps against him.  
        "I'm giving you till the next full moon, Derek." Kali exclaims as she begins to make her way out of the apartment. "Make the smart choice. Join the pack... Or next time I'm killing all of you."  
        Ethan and Aiden slowly walked across the pool of water before taking their leave as well. Isaac and Jennifer only watched as Boyd's body collapsed into Derek's human hands. The bleeding continued at an alarming rate.  
        Diana sprinted into the hallway and stopped as she caught sight of the scene in front of her. She had felt it. The tugging change, as if she had lost her own child. Isaac tried to pull her back, but Diana sprinted through the water and collapsed in front of Boyd, tears were in her eyes as she attempted to remain calm.  
        "Don't move your hands Derek." she ordered. "Keep pressure on the wound. You have to keep pressure on the wound. We can still save him. We can..."   
        "It's okay." Boyd gasps out.  
        "No, no." Derek stutters out in complete shock, his face and hands returning to his human form. "No, it's not. It's not."    
        "It's all okay, Derek." Boyd coughs out.  
        "I'm... l'm sorry." Derek whispers.  
        "The full moon." Boyd states. "That feeling... That was worth it."  
        The smell of blood was so distinct in the air and it was now covering Derek's hands.  
        "There's a lunar eclipse. I always wondered what... What that felt like for one of us. For one of us..."  
        A memory of Erica flickered in Boyd's mind. The distinct image of her blonde hair and yellow eyes emanated in his last moments.  
        **_"Boyd, what do you think will happen to us on the lunar eclipse? They last for hours, you know, because it's just the earth's shadow. I wonder what will happen to us. Maybe it'll make us stronger. I hope it'll make us stronger."  
        _**The body drops from Derek's hands and lands in the water with a loud splash. Diana immediately goes over to it, placing her arms to the already bled out wounds, hoping that if she continued to do this he could still be saved.   
        "If we keep pressure on the wound, he'll heal and I can save him." Diana muttered to herself as tears rose to her eyes. "I can still save him. He can still..."  
        There was no heartbeat that she could hear and her hands were tugged away from Boyd's body as Cora took the body in herself. Diana looked up to find Stiles and Lydia on the hallway with Isaac and Jennifer. She tore her eyes away from them and looked towards Derek whose hands were shaking.   
        Both of their hands were covered in blood and Diana slowly kneeled in front of him, obscuring the sight of Boyd's body from Derek's gaze. She covered her own bloody hands against his, hoping to stop the incessant shaking. It was second nature for him to link his fingers through her own before laying his head on her shoulder. The two Alphas clung to each other strongly, setting aside their difference in this time of mourning. 

*************

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills First National Bank_

  
        Scott had found him like they had expected. Deaton was hanged by the wrists, slowly asphyxiating. Scott quickly sprinted to save him only to be forced back by an unknown force. As Scott scrambled back on his feet did he notice the mountain ash that surrounded Deaton. This was a dilemnna that he hadn't counted on.   
        Scott pushed against the force, first by both of his hands and then his whole body. The field was pushing against him but Scott pushed harder. He could see Deaton struggle to remain conscious and something changed within him. He wanted to push harder but the force field pushed him back down to the ground. Scott gasped for the air that had been knocked out of him. All hope seemed lost since Scott had no idea of how to get him out of there.          
        "Scott!" the Sheriff shouted as he made an appearance in the vault's entrance. "Let me give it a shot!"   
        Sheriff Stilinski pulls out a gun and takes one shot to cut off the rope that hung Deaton up. Deaton dropped to the floor, scattering the mountain ash. Scott quickly ran up to him and pulled him up, allowing him to breathe.   
        "How'd you find us?" Scott asked the Sheriff.  
        "The vials in the clinic with the Celtic symbols on 'em?" the Sheriff answered. "I knew that one of 'em looked familiar."    
        The Sheriff then pointed to the distinct symbol that was on the bank vault's floor.  
        "Sheriff, thank you for being one hell of a detective." Deaton sighs out as he rubs his bruised wrists.  
        "You bet." the Sheriff states. "Let's get you an ambulance."  
        The Sheriff left the vault to call the ambulance, leaving Scott and Deaton alone for the first time since they saved him.  
        "Your eyes were red." Deaton whispers to Scott excitedly. "Bright red."  
        "How is that possible?" Scott asks him.  
        "It's rare." Deaton tells him. "It's something that doesn't happen within 100 years, but every once in a while a beta can become an Alpha without having to steal or take that power. They call it a _True Alpha_. It's one who rises purely on the strength of the character, by virtue, by sheer force of will."  
        "You knew this would happen." Scott states in which Deaton hesitantly nods.  
        "I believed." he answered. "From the moment I knew you were bitten, I believed."  
        "Does Diana..." Scott begins to ask but Deaton shakes his head. Scott hesitates before saying what was on his mind next. "You're not the only one."  
        "No." Deaton answers. "Deucalion isn't after Diana or Derek... He's after you." 


	9. Visionary

Third POV,  _Derek's Loft_

        Stiles had come over to the loft in search for any sign of Diana or Derek, but he hadn't found a trace. Instead Cora had let him in and Stiles made himself comfortable, asking questions that Cora couldn't really answer. She only had a vague explanation for both of Diana and Dereks' simultaneous disappearance. It was what wolves did when they were too wounded, they would hide and heal. Cora was explaining this to an impatient Stiles, recounting an event from Derek's past. 

        "They were there for two days, waiting, hiding." Cora tells him. "That's what we're taught to do when the hunters find us... hide and heal."

        "Okay, so is two days standard, then, or are we thinking Derek and Diana are on, like, some extended getaway?" Stiles asks her. "Are they even together? Or did they go their separate ways?"

        "Why do you care?" Cora snaps at him.

        "Why do I care?" Stiles exclaims annoyed. "Let's see... because over the last few weeks, my best friend's tried to kill himself. His boss nearly got ritually sacrificed. A girl that I've known since I was three was ritually sacrificed. Boyd was killed by alphas. I... do you want me to keep going? Cause I can, all right? For, like, an hour."

        "You think Derek or Diana can do anything about that?" Cora asks him.

        "Diana always has something planned, ok?" Stiles responds. "She's always in control and well, Derek... he's the one everyone seems to be after. It's more like he should do something about it, yeah."

        "I don't know." Cora sighs out as she turns back to the big expanded window. "There's something different about him now. He wasn't like this when we knew him."

        This caused Stiles to pause in his pacing. He realized that it's been about a year now and they didn't really know much about Derek, or his past. 

        "What was he like?" Stiles asks her.  

        "A lot like Scott, actually." Interrupts Peter as he makes his way downstairs. "A lot like most teenagers... unbearably romantic, profoundly narcissistic, tolerable really only to other teenagers."

        "And so what happened? What changed him?" Stiles asks them.

        "Well, the same thing that changes a lot of young men... A girl." Peter answers.

        "Diana?" Stiles asks, knowing that their was still an unknowing past between them too that she had yet to explain to them fully.

        It's Cora who shakes her head to his question.

        "No," Cora answers. "This is a year before Diana came to town."

        "Ok, but that doesn't change the fact." Stiles responds. "You're telling me some girl broke his little heart? That's why Derek is the way he is?"

        Peter sighs at Stiles' attitude. There was so much that these kids didn't know. 

        "Do you remember Derek before he was an Alpha had blue eyes?" Peter asks Stiles. "Do you know why some wolves have blue eyes?"

        "I just always thought it was, like, a genetic thing." Stiles answers unsurely. Peter shakes his head at this and reminisces of a memory that happened a few years ago. A memory that needed to come out into the light. 

        "If you want to know what changed Derek, you need to know what changed the color of his eyes." 

***************

Diana's POV _, Unknown Location_

        I park the car in the middle of the make-shift trail. I surveilled the nearby perimeter knowing that this would have to do for now. I sigh as I look over at Derek who had mainly slept through the drive, but now was looking out the window in complete silence. We hadn't talked much after the... incident. We just somehow knew what to do, our bodies moving to pack our bags and leave, surprisingly together. Now here we are, alone in the middle of nowhere, trying to heal from something that I felt would be impossible. 

        "No one's here for around miles," I say breaking the silence. 

        "So it's just you and me, huh?" Derek asks, surprising me by his direct verbal response. As he takes in the large expansion of the forest. "Is this your attempt to kill me once and for all?"

        "I had 27 chances to kill you on the way here," I tell him as I shut off the car and unbuckled my seatbelt. "Most of them I could have easily done while you were asleep."  

        Derek rolled his eyes as he stepped out of the car quickly.

        "So if you didn't bring me out here to kill me then I'm assuming this is your way of manipulating me into liking you again?" 

        I was already on edge with the constant waves of emotion that it wasn't hard for me to titter on the edge of anger. 

        "Seriously Derek?" I ask him. "This is how we're going to be?" 

        "What do you want from me, Diana?" Derek exclaims. "Just because I let you in last night doesn't mean you're in my good graces... far from it actually." 

        I shake my head at him, as if that was what I had expected since last night. 

        "I gave you time. I gave you space. I gave you Isaac so he could look over you and when Cora came back, alive, I didn't try to contact her because of you." Derek stares at me with a blank expression and I take a deep breath and look away from him. "It's obvious that a reconciliation between the both of us is never going to happen... I hate you and you hate me. I know that's never going to change."

        "Really?" Derek asks me in disbelief. 

        "You're not my first ex, Derek." I exclaim at him. "I'm not going to be begging you to take me back. I'm not pathetic enough to be like that. What you and I had, whatever it was, I'm over it already. Don't worry about if I have any lingering feelings for you, because I don't." 

        "Good," Derek answers as he stares at me. 

        "Great," I reply as I stare into his eyes, crossing my arms in front of my chest. 

        We remain like this for a few more seconds, trying to gauge the other's expression, before I give up and turn away from him. 

        "We didn't really think to pack a tent, or a sleeping bag in fact, but you can sleep in the car." I offer to him as I open the trunk and pull it up. "I'll stay out here." 

        "Not that I care... but this doesn't seem like your typical bed." Derek states as he motions to the hard ground.

        "You forget that I don't need those things," I answer as I pull out my bag off the trunk and throw it to side. "Not when I'm shifted as a wolf." 

        "You're going to... you're going to shift full-wolf?" Derek asks me. 

        "Of course I am," I answer. "My she-wolf doesn't mind this. It's her natural element. This isn't new to me. The longest I was able to hide out from my dad and Marcos was when I was in my wolf form. "

        I stop as I remember those few peaceful months in which I was able to breathe before being forced to run again.

        "Besides, how did you think we were going to eat out here?" 

        "What?" Derek exclaims confused. 

        "You didn't really pack food so I'm going to have to be the one to bring the bacon... or in this case hopefully a deer." I state, noticing his aggravated distaste for this detail. I couldn't help but rub it in his face. "You don't mind do you?" 

        "I can survive on my own," Derek grits out. 

        "Ok, whatever..." I say with a shake of my head before turning around. "Good luck with that." 

        I kick off my shoes and tuck them into my bag. I glance over at Derek who was still facing me. 

        "Do you mind?" I ask him. 

        "Mind what?" 

        "Turning around," I say as I a signal him to face the other way. "I'm undressing to go wolf. Some privacy would be nice." 

        Derek rolls his eyes at this, but does as he's told. I shake my head at him before [stripping of my shirt and pants](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=216394677). I shiver at the breeze before taking off my underwear and bra. I don't waste any more time as I shift into my wolf and let her take control. I run past Derek and deeper into the deserted woods as I let the scent of nearby wildlife guide me. 

**************

_They had taken over the living room with blankets and pillow forts. There were chip bags and candy bars strewn around the floor as they laid in the middle of the living room staring at the tv screen with intensity. 10 Things I Hate About You was playing in the large screen in front of them and Cora couldn't stop gushing about how cute Joseph Gordon Levitt was in the movie._

_"I would marry him in a heartbeat," Cora states as she chewed on a Twizzler. "God look at that face!"_

_DiDi couldn't help but roll her eyes to that._

_"Ok, whatever."_

_Cora turned to look at her with a slight glare._

_"Somethings up with you," she states. "You haven't been doing your usual funny commentary. Like there were a lot of opportunities from the 90's hair to the clothing. What's wrong?"_

_"Nothing..." DiDi sighs out as she picks at the Lays chips in the bowl._

_"Come on," Cora nudges her. "You can tell me."_

        _"It's just..." DiDi sighs out. "Your brother... he's trouble isn't he?"_

_Cora could tell that there was something more that she was asking but brushed it off. She looked back at the screen and absently thought back to her brother. It was just a couple of years ago that Cora noticed Derek's control to his wolf side was lacking. He was slowly gaining it back, but Cora never fully understood what made him revert back that way. There was that girl back in his sophmore year, but Cora couldn't really remember if that really happened._

_"He's troubled." Cora answered carefully. "But as much as an asshole as he can be, he isn't trouble."_

_"Well, just to be safe... I think I'll steer clear from him." DiDi states._

_"Yeah, that'll be safe." Cora mindlessly states._

_They returned their attention back to the tv screen only for their peaceful sleepover to be interrupted so abruptly and rudely._

      _"Hey what are you watching?"_

_"What the-?" Cora exclaims as her brother jumps over the couch and squeezes himself between Cora and DiDi. Both girls just looked at Derek in shock while he just stared at the screen._

_"Really? A chick flick?" he asks. "Couldn't you two watch an action movie? Or a horror one?"_

_"So we could have nightmares for the rest of the night?" DiDi pipes in. "I think not."_

_Derek turns to look at her and places his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his chest._

_"Oh don't worry, DiDi." Derek tells her. "You can always sleep with me if that's the case."_

_Cora groans at the pick-up line while DiDi just shoves him away._

_"Seriously!" DiDi exclaims as she stands up from the floor. "I'm going to shower."_

_"Can I join you?" Derek asks._

        _DiDi scoffs at this, turns on her heals, and walks out of the living room. She practically stomped all the way upstairs and slammed the door in Cora's room._

_"What is wrong with you?" Cora asks, shoving her brother. "Can you really not control yourself? That's my friend... my only friend! You can't just... ugh!"_

_"I can't just what?" Derek asks nonchalantly._

_"Every one of my friends are so in love with you that I can't hang out with them anymore!" Cora exclaims. "You can't take away the one person who hasn't fallen for your charms! Leave Diana alone!"_

_"But I..."_

_Cora leaves Derek behind, ignoring him completely, and stomps her way back to her room. Derek was left alone, the crackling movie still going on behind him._

_"But I... like her."_

_"She's the reason, isn't she?"_

_Derek turns around and finds his mother entering the room. His mom sighs at the sight of the messy living room but turns her focus back on Derek._

_"She's the reason you've been able to keep control again right?" Talia asks him. Derek was about to ask her how she knew this, but Talia waved him off. "I'm your Alpha, Derek and most importantly, I'm your mother. Of course I knew."_

_"Mom..." Derek sighs out._

_"After that girl last year," Thalia states before noticing her son's grim expression. "Derek... you've lost control and I was worried you would never be able to retain it again. Are you sure you want to make a girl your anchor again?"_

        _"She's different," Derek answers honestly. "Something is telling me that she's it... that there's no one better."_

_Talia opened her mouth to say more but Peter came into the living room, a scowl on his face as he saw the romantic comedy playing on the screen. With Peter's threats to throw the tv out if the movie wasn't stopped, the moment was ruined. Talia watched her son steel himself away and she wondered if he was ready to hear what she had to say to him. That he was one of the lucky few to find his mate._

**************

Third POV,  _Derek's Loft_

        It was hard for Stiles to wrap his mind around Derek being a young happy-go-lucky teenager. Derek being a jock didn't really surprise him, but the nauseating relationship details Peter hashed out to him was something he really didn't want to know. Stiles didn't interrupt though, knowing that they would stop telling him Derek's history with his incessant questions, but it got to the point where Stiles' mind was demanding answers.

        "Okay, so if Derek was a sophomore back then, how old was he?" Stiles asks before another question came to mind as he looked at Peter. "How old were you? How old are you now?"

        "Not as young as we could have been, but not as old as you might think." Peter answers vaguely.

        "Okay, that was frustratingly vague." Stiles calls him out before turning to Cora. "How old are you?"

        "I'm 17." Cora answers in which Stiles nods.

        "See, that's an answer. That's how we answer people... wait what?" Stiles backtracks as he processes her answer. "Wait, I thought you went to school with Diana. Shouldn't you be like... 22?"

        "Well, I'm 17 in what you'd measure in years." Cora tries to explain to him.

        Stiles scowled at this, confused by both of their answers.

        "All right, I'm just gonna drop it." Stiles mutters turning his focus back onto Peter. "What happened to Derek and the cello girl?"

        "What do you think happened?" Peter remarks. "They were teenagers. One minute, it's, I hate you, don't talk to me. The next, it's frantic groping in any dark corner they could manage to find themselves alone for five minutes. Their favorite dark corner was an abandoned distillery outside of Beacon Hills."

        This causes Stiles to ask one more question.

        "All right, hold up. How do you know all this?" Stiles asks him. "You just said that they were alone."

        "Back then, I wasn't just Derek's Uncle. I was his best friend, his closest confidante." Peter answers. "That's how I know." 

**************

         _Derek couldn't help but inhale her scent. It was surrounding his whole room, so fresh and sweet. He could tell that she used Cora's shampoo, but he could still smell her natural scent. He couldn't help but be drawn into his room, which surprised him. What could she possibly doing here?_

_Derek caught her with a towel wrapped around her body, searching through his drawers. This caused him to smile as he leaned on his doorway and watched her._

_"You're avoiding me."_

_Derek couldn't help but chuckle as she saw DiDi jump, startled by his sudden voice._

_"But then again, you're not really good at hiding." Derek continues as he enters deeper into the room. "As this is my room after all."_

_DiDi reluctantly turns around and gives him a small smile before closing his drawers._

_"I'm staying over tonight... in Cora's room." she answers. "I need clothes that actually fit me seeing as your sister is a size 0 and I am not."_

_She tries to move past him but Derek moves to block her path. Being this close to her, it took everything in his power not to lean over and take in her scent more personally._

        _"Why?" Derek asks her._

_"Why what?" she asks confused._

_"Why have you been avoiding me?" Derek asks quietly. "We were getting along the other day, when I walked you back home. What changed?"_

_"Nothing," DiDi answers, as she tries to move past him, but is blocked by him once more. She sighs loudly before looking up at him._

_"Are you going to answer my question or not?" Derek asks her._

_"Nothing's changed, really." she tells him, clutching the towel a little tighter. "I just... I just realized that this can't happen."_

_"Why not?" Derek asks alarmed._

_"Because you're you... Cora's older brother." DiDi answers. "And I'm me, your best friend's younger sister."_

_"Cora got to you, didn't she?"_

_"She told me when we first started talking," she tells him. "And she reminded me tonight."_

_"This doesn't have to stop," Derek tells her. "This doesn't have to end."_

_"Well it has to," she replies._

_"I'll stop talking to Marcos then," Derek offers up, and for the first time DiDi offers him a real laugh._

_"That's nice of you to say, but no." she replies with a shake of her head. The smile on her face disappearing quickly. "You're a really nice guy, Derek and I do like you, but we can't."_

_"DiDi, what's taking you so long?!" Cora shouts from her room._

_"I should go," DiDi tells him as she moves past him._

_She hesitates at the doorway and turns back to look at him sympathetically._

_"I'm really sorry," she offers to him. "I really did like you."_

**************

Third POV, _Unknown Location_

        Derek was finally completely alone. He didn't know where he was but he didn't really care. As long as it wasn't his loft. Derek shakily rubbed his hands, recalling how Diana had helped him wash the blood off them. He sighed as his mind jumped to her. This wasn't a time to think about her. This was a time to separate from the danger and just heal.

        He took a deep breath to calm himself before feeling the familiar pangs of hunger. Derek desperately didn't want trust Diana for dinner and so he himself roamed the nearby camping grounds for fruit or nuts or clean water. It didn't take him long to find a small stream and nearby he found red berries. He collected as many as he could before returning to the camping ground. 

        Derek paused when he took notice of the metal glistening through the leaves. With closer inspection, he realized that it was a bear trap. Derek from there on kept an eye out on where he walked, afraid of stepping into one of those open traps. He made it back to the camping ground and Diana had yet to return. 

        Derek didn't dare eat yet. He wanted to have the satisfaction to refuse Diana's offers of a meal and eat the berries in front of her. Yes, it was childish of him to do so, but he wanted her to see that he didn't need her.

        To pass the time, which has been a while now, Derek decided to start a fire and collected enough twigs to keep it alive for the whole night.  

        He watched the flames closely, his mind straying distantly. There was a time where a simple flame would cause Derek to cower like a small child. It took years for him to be able to overcome this fear and be near it.

        It was the same thing now. He had distanced himself from people. He tried so hard not to care, but here he was broken once more. Ever since his hands were stained red, it hadn't stopped. So much blood stained his hands now, so many things he's done that caused more pain. When was the pain going to stop? When would we he heal from these wounds? How did he even get here? To this place of complete misery. 

        Derek let the tears rise to his eyes in this moment of solitude. He wiped them away and took a deep breath. He couldn't help but think back to his mother. She would know what to do, she always did. As much as he tried to be the Alpha his mother was, Derek couldn't. Most of his pack was dead and the remaining always chose Diana over him.

         _Where did he go wrong? Where did everything go wrong?_

*************           

Third POV,  _Gerard's Room/Derek's Loft_

        They needed information and Alison knew where to get it from. The information came with a price, one that Scott was willing to pay for. It was a high risk trusting Gerard but it was one they had to take. Scott took away a bit of his pain and with a little revelation of a third body being found, Gerard began the tale of how Deucalion may be blind, but hadn't lost his sight.

        "They were all there... Ennis, Kali, Deucalion... each with their own packs, before they'd killed them all and decided to form their little all-star team." Gerard starts off.

        "But they didn't all live here, did they?" Allison asks him.

        "No, but there was an exceptionally powerful Alpha who did live here." Gerard answers. "She had a capacity to shape-shift into a wolf that was rare among her kind. Just like Diana..." Gerard coughs out. "That made her something of a leader, the kind of person that they would go to for advice and guidance... Talia Hale." 

      _"It's his right." Talia intervenes amongst the Alphas gathered. Ennis had just recently lost a member and was in search of revenge against the Argents. "We're not the only people to adhere to rituals thousands of years old."_

_"Which is no excuse for not evolving." Deucalion pipes in. His blue eyes looking at a raging Ennis._

_"They ripped his claws right out of his fingers!" Ennis exclaims. "How is that evolving? Useless debate. I'm done with it."_

_"Ennis, don't." Deucalion calls out to him as Ennis walks up to the wall of the distillery and sets his claws. "Don't make us part of a historical cliche. With two such powers, it never ends at an eye for an eye. A skirmish becomes a war. A murder becomes a massacre. And we end up no better than our enemies."_

_This speech doesn't change Ennis' mind. It didn't stop him from drawing the swirl on the wall._

        "Our mark for vendetta." Peter explains to Stiles, as he recounts what he saw that night at the abandoned distillery.

        "Man, you guys really take that revenge thing to, like, a whole new level, don't you?" Stiles asks them.

        "It's not just revenge." Cora pipes in. "Losing a member of your pack isn't like losing family. It's like you lose a limb."

        Stiles pauses as he recalls the night that Diana lost Derek to Peter. The pain she felt was paralyzing to her. He also remembered what happened last night, how Derek and Diana put away their feud and found comfort in each other.

        "They wouldn't even let him see the body." Peter tells Stiles, calling him back to the story once more. 

        "I don't get it." Cora comments. "What does this have to do with Derek?"

        "Everything." Peter tells her. "It's never just a single moment. It's a confluence of events. Personally, I looked at Ennis' circumstances, I saw a profound loss. Derek saw something different. He saw opportunity."

        "Opportunity?" Stiles asks confused. "To do what?"

        "To always be with Paige." Peter answers. "He wanted her to turn." 

        "What?" Stiles asks surprised. 

        "I kept telling him not to do it." Peter continues, recalling the events differently. "Every day the more he thought about it, the more convinced he became. You know teenagers. I bet he even blames me. He's probably convinced himself the whole thing was my idea." 

*************

        _There was already a large crowd in the stands. Derek clearly saw Cora scowling in the stands which confused him. She never came to his games just like he never went to her track meets. Derek pushed that thought off his mind as he led the drills in the team hoping that this would show his coach that he was ready for that captain title. He was about to make a 3-point shot when he caught wind of her._

_The smell of vanilla and the autumn breeze._

_The ball flies in the air and completely misses the basket. All of his teammates snicker at this big fail but Derek doesn't pay them any mind as he sees DiDi step into the gym and making his way to his sister. He watches them talk a while before her eyes meet his. She offers him a smile before becoming alarmed._

_"Derek!" she shouted._

_Derek barely turned his head and instinctively caught the basketball that was coming straight for his face. That would have been very embarrassing and also painful, mainly embarrassing. Derek turned back to Diana just to find her facing a giggling Cora with a smile on her own face. He was about to go say hi but Marcos blocked his path, snapping his fingers in front of his face._

_"Hey dude," Marcos states. "We need your focus on the game, ok?"_

        "What?" Derek asks confused. 

_"You can say hi to your fan club later," Marcos says waving to the cheerleaders lining up in front of the stands. "For now, we need to win and we need you for that."_

_Derek nodded at that and gave one more glance to the stands before dribbling the ball and making the shot._

_In a few minutes the buzzer goes off and the game starts shortly after. As usual, Derek was playing his best, making shots and plays and encouraging the rest of his teammates. He was also targeted by the opposing team, but Derek defied them all. At the end of each shot, he would look over at DiDi to find her smiling and cheering them on._

_"Derek you are on fire!" his Coach exclaimed. "Just what I like to see!"_

_Derek smiled as his Coach patted him hard on the back before letting him go and instructing of future plays._

_The game continued, Beacon Hills High was winning with a great lead, and Derek witnessed DiDi cheer him on. The final buzzer goes off and the whole team carries Derek up on their shoulders. The whole stand come rushing to the court to join the frenzy. Derek begs to be put down so he could go find DiDi. It took a while, but they finally did._

        _Derek weaved through the crowd, ignoring the scent of buttered popcorn and hot dogs, as he tried to find the source of warm vanilla. He found her scent at the outskirts of the crowd. DiDi was under her brother's arm as he pulled her into a sweaty embrace. Cora was there too, grimacing at the sight before her._

_"Great game, Der!" DiDi exclaims as she notices him._

_"Thanks," he says, his excitement fading with the audience of Marcos and Cora. "It was an easy game."_

_"Easy?" Cora question. "You guys were neck to neck until the 3rd quarter!"_

_"But we still won, right?" Derek tells her, shutting her up._

_"I bet it was all Marcos' fault," DiDi jabs. "You must have picked up a lot of his slack."_

_"Hey!" Marcos exclaims._

_"It's true though," Derek comments causing Marcos to snap towards him._

_"That's not true and you know it!"_

_Derek couldn't help but laugh and he turned to DiDi to find her laughing too. He had a huge urge to kiss her then, but was snapped out of the idea when Marcos put his arm around her and pulled her in for another hug._

_"Oh my God, Marcos!" DiDi shouts. "You're disgusting."_

_She pushes him away from her._

        _"Go hit the shower you nasty," she mutters. Marcos laughs at this and walks away to do just that._

_"You too." Cora tells Derek. "I'm not going to let you drive me home smelling like that."_

_Derek rolls his eyes at this, but nods to her request._

_"Ok, I'm gonna go shower," Derek tells her. His eyes stray over to DiDi and he smiles as he catches her looking at him. "I hope you come to more of my games. I think you might be our lucky charm."_

_"I'm not going to become one of your Derek fan girls," DiDi retorts._

_"Give it time," Derek answers as he walks away. "I'm sure you'll end up converting."_

*************

Third POV,  _Gerard's Room_

        _They find the remnants of what seems to be a great tree. Beside it, lies two doorways that lead under it. Gerard didn't care much for entering. The wolves that had resided there are long gone, but Chris wanted to go in and so Gerard followed after his eldest son._

_"What is this?" Gerard asks as he looks at the roots of the tree and finds a carved symbol._

_"A Celtic five fold knot... It's a druid symbol." Chris explains to him. He looks around the cellar with a deep concentration. “The air's different in here. Do you feel it? I think I know what this place is."_

_"Is that blood?" Gerard asks pointing to the dark spot near the tree._

_"Sacrificial blood." Chris points out. "We're in a nemeton. It's a sacred meeting place. Ancient Celtic druids would usually choose a large, older tree in a grove. It would represent the center of the world. There was a belief that cutting or harming the tree in any way would cause serious problems for the surrounding villages."_

_"What sort of problems?" Gerard asks him._

_"Fires, plagues, strife... death and destruction of all kinds."_

Allison never realized her father knew this much of some ancient culture. She didn't know why it mattered so much. 

        "How does he know all about Celtic symbols and druids?" Allison asks Gerard. 

        " _Know thy enemy, Allison._ " the elder hunter responds. "The older wolves had a relationship with the druids. They called them emissaries." 

        "Like my boss, Deaton." Scott states in which Gerard nods. 

        "Do you know the myth of Lycaon?" Gerard asks him. 

        "I know it's where we get the word _lycanthropy_." Scott tells him, prompting Gerard to recount the myth. 

        "According to myth, some Greek citizens believed they owed their lives more to Prometheus than to the gods of Olympus. And some followers even took names to honor the titans instead of the gods." 

        "Like Deucalion." Scott states. 

        "The son of Prometheus." Gerard points out. "Lycaon didn't just refuse to honor the gods. He challenged them. He invited Zeus to a banquet and then tried to serve him the flesh of a human being. Angered, Zeus blew the place apart with lightning bolts and then punished Lycaon and his sons by turning them into wolves. The part that's lesser known is how Lycaon sought out the druids to help turn him back to human." 

        "Why druids?" Scott asks. 

        "The belief was that the ancient druids knew how to shape-shift." Gerard explains to him. "They couldn't make Lycaon and his sons human again, but they did teach them how to shift back and forth. And so the druids became important advisors to the packs." 

         _"While I admire your willingness to extend an olive branch, I have to tell you, it might not be welcome." Deaton warns Deucalion._

_"And I'm not sure that Gerard is the one to accept it." Talia pipes in._

_"It's true." Deaton wades in again. "The Argents have a matriarchal leadership."_

_"Actually, I was speaking about the fact that he's a complete psychopath." Talia states. "The man cuts people in half with a broadsword."_

_Deucalion sighs at the emissary and the Alpha Talia._

_"Do the two of you really have so little faith in people?" Deucalion asks them. "You think Gerard isn't worried about the deaths on his own side?"_

_"Do you know the story of the scorpion and the frog?" Deaton asks Deucalion._

_"I have a feeling I'm about to hear it." Deucalion answers._

_Deaton couldn't help but smile at this before recounting the tale._

_"When the scorpion asked the frog to carry him across the river, the frog said, **How do I know you won't sting me?** The scorpion replied, **Why would I do that?** **Then we'd both drown.** So the frog agreed. Halfway across the river, the scorpion stung the frog. When the frog asked him why he did it, since now they would both die, the scorpion replied... **It's my nature**." Deaton looked at Deucalion with warning. "Your faith in humanity may not matter if you underestimate Gerard's nature." _

_"Make sure you meet him on neutral ground." Talia advises him. "And do not walk in there alone."_

_"I'm an Alpha." Deucalion answers as his red eyes glow. "I never walk alone."_

Gerard coughed for a while as the dark blood trickled down his nose and mouth. He took out his stained handkerchief and wiped the black away. 

        "I wasn't really surprised when Deaton came to arrange a meeting with Deucalion." Gerard tells them. "As William Blake said, _Any sinister person who means to be your enemy always start by trying to become your friend._ " 

        "How do you know he wasn't going there to make peace?" Scott asks him. 

        "Because I'm not an idiot." Gerard quickly retorts. "Do you know the sanskrit fable of the scorpion and the turtle?" 

        "Yeah, the scorpion asks the turtle for a ride across the river." 

        "And when the scorpion stings the turtle, dooming them both, what does he say to explain his behavior?" Gerard asks him. 

        " _It's my nature_." Scott answers. 

        "I know a werewolf's nature." Gerard explains to him. "I knew exactly what was coming... a trap."

         _Both groups stood at opposing sides of the distillery. This was neutral ground for werewolf packs and in this case, hunters and werewolves. Gerard circled the distillery, eyeing the swirl on the corner, before facing Deucalion once more._

_"_ _I think it's quite fitting that we are meeting in a distillery. You know, the process of distillation is the separating of two substances by pushing them into their different volatile states."_

_"Volatile is exactly the state I was hoping to avoid." Deucalion states._

_"Ooh." Gerard sighs out. "Then this is going to come as quite a big disappointment."_

_Gerard turns the lever of the pipes and strong pressured gas starts to cover the whole room. Deucalion and his betas start to inhale it and suffocate in doing so. The Argent Hunters do as well, except for Gerard who injected himself with a stabilizer._

_"What have you done?" Deucalion coughs out in which Gerard ignores. Instead he walks over to his hidden stash of weapons and pulls out a spiked bat._

_"_ _One of the earliest weapons used by man was the spiked mace." Gerard explains to Deucalion. "I've made one of my own. I'd love to get your opinion on it."_

_One of the Argent hunters start to approach Gerard, holding onto his neck due to suffocation, but Gerard quickly swings the spiked mace to their head, killing them instantly._

_"Your own people..." Deucalion coughs out, watching Gerard kill his own men._

_"They wanted peace too." Gerard states. "Look what you did to them."_

_Deucalion mustered all of his strength and began to crawl away from the distillery, away from the toxic air. He made it outside where the sun shone brightly down at him. His lungs filled with pure air, but he wasn't strong enough to get up yet._

_Gerard was on his tail though. Slowly watching as the defenseless Alpha crawled away for it's miserable life. Deucalion turns onto his back and begs._

_"_ _Don't." Deucalion whimpers. "Don't do this. I had a vision, a vision of peace."_

_"A little shortsighted... wouldn't you say?"_

_Gerard pulled out two of his sparkling arrows and jabbed them into Deucalion's eyes. The arrows did damage, but the sparkles burned worse._

"They attacked you?" Allison asks surprised. 

        Gerard coughed a bit, before wiping more of his dark blood away. 

        "It was an ambush." 

*************

Third POV,  _Derek's Loft_

        Peter recounted how Ennis had been the one chosen to turn Paige. He had just recently lost a member and was in search of a new one. Stiles and Cora listened to him tell them this, yet Peter's voice faltered at the right time, his expression darkening. 

        "So did she turn?" Stiles asks him. 

        "She should have." Peter answers. "Most of the time, the bite takes...Most of the time."

        "When you offered it to me, you said, _if it doesn't kill you_." Stiles recalls. 

        " _If._ " Peter repeats. 

        Peter recounted how he found them at the cellar. Her blood was black and seeping through the werewolf bite. Derek asked him what was going on with her. 

        "He knew the answer, though." Peter tells them. "It didn't matter that she was young and strong. Some people just aren't made for this. But she fought. She struggled desperately, trying to survive." 

        The loft fills with silence as Peter takes a seat on the staircase.

        "I remember taking her body from his arms, to the woods, to a place where I knew that it would be found... another in a long line of Beacon Hills animal attacks." 

        "And what about Derek?" Cora asks him, tears in her eyes. She didn't know this happened to him. She must have been too young to notice. 

        "Taking an innocent life takes something from you as well, a bit of your soul... darkening it, dimming the once brilliant, golden yellow to a cold, steel blue... like mine." 

        Peter lets his blue eyes fade back to normal before standing up quickly and clapping his hands. 

        "And that was it for storytime," Peter states. "I'll be off." 

        Peter ignores Stiles exasperated look as he walks out of the loft without another word. Cora brushed it off knowing that it was typical Peter behavior. Stiles turned away from the closed front door and thought over the story. Something just didn't seem right. 

        "What?" Cora asks him. "What's this... what's this look on your face?" 

        "What look?" Stiles asks confused. 

        "The kind of look that makes me want to punch you." Cora responds. 

        "Oh, my God. You are so Derek's sister. I forgot." Stiles responds exasperated once more. 

        "Well, what is with the look?" Cora asks again. 

        "I just don't believe him." Stiles answers earning a glare from Cora. "All right, in Ms. Blake's class, we're reading _Heart of Darkness_ , and it's in first person, right? Narrated by Marlow." Stiles explains. "The thing is that he's... he's an _unreliable_ narrator. You know the details of it have changed, you know, just because of _his_ perspective." 

        "Well, then we heard the story from Peter's perspective." Cora states. 

        "Right, and I don't think we got the whole story." Stiles replies. 

        "So, what, are... Are you just gonna ask Derek about the girl he fell in love with and then killed?" Cora asks sarcastically in which Stiles takes seriously. 

        "If I have to... Yeah." 

        "Whoa, whoa... wait." Cora calls out to him as Stiles turned to leave. "Instead of trying out a suicide mission, why don't you ask someone else?" 

        "Who?" Stiles asks her. 

        "Diana," Cora replies in which Stiles frowns in confusion.

        "What? You told me she wasn't here for that part of his life." 

        "She wasn't, but..." Cora trails off. "...but Diana and my brother are alike in a lot of aspects. This being one of them." 

        "What?" Stiles asks her once again confused by her vagueness. 

        It wasn't her story to tell so Cora answered carefully. 

        "How do you think she became an Alpha?" 

**************

_Deaton had done the best he could when Deucalion was brought to him. His eyes had suffered through a lot of damage, irreparable damage. He started to undo the bandage covering Deucalion's eyes, trying his best to ease him into the bad news._

_"I'm sorry." Deaton apologizes. "The eyes will heal physically, but... your sight..."_

_Deucalion could sense that his eyes were open, his eyelids flickering, but all he could see was darkness. Eternal darkness. He clutches at the metal table in front of him and lets out a shattering scream._

_"Leave me alone!"_

_Talia and Deaton quickly leave the room, knowing that Deucalion needed his space. His beta had remained behind, eyeing his weakened Alpha._

_"Marco, I said... leave me alone."_

_"You are alone_." 

         _Deucalion didn't see him coming, but he did feel the first strike of defiance. His wolf quickly woke up and his sight returned in red. Marco stood ready to attack again, but Deucalion didn't give him that chance. Instead he drew blood... a lot of blood._

"He sees as a wolf?" Scott asks surprised. 

        "He's not always blind." Gerard repeats his earlier phrase once more. 

        "Maybe we can use it against him." Allison states, her mind already running with offense and defense possibilities.  

        Scott nods at this and they both start to get up to leave. 

        "Scott." Gerard calls out, raising his palm upwards for one more pain relief. Scott takes his hand and relieves him of his pain before letting go. "Oh, I think about you sometimes, Scott. I do. I wonder, what if I'd done things differently? Getting the bite to cure my cancer. And I wonder when it became my nature to believe most things couldn't be asked for but had to be _taken._ "  

        "I don't believe you." Scott answers causing Gerard to look up in mock surprise. "The whole time that you were telling your story, I was listening to your heartbeat. It never went up. It never went down. It was steady the whole time." 

        "Because I was telling the truth." Gerard tells him. 

        "Or because you've been trained to be a really good liar." Scott replies, his mind flickering back to Diana. "If you lied and it gets people hurt... I'll be back to take away more than your pain." 

**************

Third POV,  _Unknown Location_

        The sun was setting and Diana had yet to come back. Derek didn’t want to admit it, but he was becoming worried as to what could have happened to her. In the distance he hears a wolf howling and relaxes at the idea that it was her. Derek stroke the fire, keeping it alive, before he heard it. A loud metallic snap nearby caused his head to snap towards it and all he could think about was the bear trap he saw early. 

        With no hesitation, Derek sprinted away from the campground and ran towards the location of the noise. His scent caught blood, a lot of blood.

        “Diana!” Derek shouts as he rounds the tree and finds the bear trap closed. There was nothing there and Derek was confused. The smell of blood was still clear in the air. “Diana!” 

        “I’m fine,” her voice quietly states. 

        Derek immediately turns around and finds Diana hiding behind a tree. He could see the outline of her nude body and her whole right side was filled with dry blood.

        “You’re not fine,” Derek states as he steps closer to her. “You’re covered in blood.” 

        Diana remains behind the tree, keeping herself hidden as Derek stepped closer. 

        “Stop,” she tells him, making Derek falter in his step. “I’m fine. This blood isn’t even mine. I just nicked the deer’s artery and got covered in this stuff.” 

        “Well let me take a look…” 

        “I’m naked,” Diana states. “And I don’t feel comfortable being like this with you… not anymore.” 

        Derek remained silent by her exchange. He didn’t know why it was upsetting him that she wouldn’t let him check up on her. 

        “I’m going to go wash this blood off and change.” Diana tells him. “Just give me a few minutes alone please.” 

        Before he could respond, Diana shifted into her wolf form and sprinted away from him. Derek took a minute before making his way back to the camping grounds. Diana had returned, freshly washed, and was just placing her shirt on. Derek watched her bare back, drawn to the cross tattoo on her back. He scowled as he remembers what it symbolizes. 

        Diana turns around, not surprised to see him there. Instead of acknowledging him, Diana walks past him to carry in the hunts of the day. The two hares she caught were already cleaned and cut, the deer was still drying out on the side. Derek could see the harsh bite marks around the neck. It made sense now why there was so much blood on her. 

        “You caught all of this?” Derek asks surprised. 

        “It’s easy to hunt as a wolf,” Diana answers. “It’s even better when you have a mind of a hunter to go along with it.” 

        Derek doesn’t say anything else and just watches her place the rabbit meat up unto the fire. Diana watches him though, her eyes narrowing to his blank expression.

        “You thought I got caught on a trap," Diana states. "You were worried that I got hurt." 

        Derek ignored her gaze and instead brought the focus of the berries he had collected earlier. 

        "I got these," Derek tells her as he brushes of her statement. "Thought you'll like some." 

        "Are you trying to kill me?" Diana asks in which Derek scowls from. 

        "What? No, of course not!" 

        "Well you are," Diana replies as she focuses back on the fire. "Those berries are poisonous." 

        Derek rolled his eyes and was about to place a handful into his mouth before Diana slapped the berries out of his hands. 

        "I'm not lying," she tells him. "They'll cause your throat to close up. You won't be able to breathe." 

        Derek watched her, her hand still on his wrist. A familiar warmth spread through him as his eyes met hers. A soft breeze blew through the forest and her hair lifted slightly. A new aroma filled his senses, one he hadn't smelled since his junior year. Her natural scent of vanilla and autumn breeze. He inhaled deeply, his eyes closing, ingraining the matured scent into his memory.

        It all disappeared too soon as she slipped away from him. Diana cleared her throat and handed Derek one of the cooked hares, sitting on the other side of the fire to eat her own. He watched her for a while after that. Derek saw how the flames flickered around her, as if she was burning with them, but remain unscathed. She always seemed to get out of things unscathed. 

        "How did you do it?" Derek finds himself asking her. 

        "Hmm," she answers looking up at him, surprised that he initiated the conversation.

        "How did you do it?" Derek repeats. "How did you escape hell?" 

        Diana scowls at his question, throwing the remainder of her meal into the fire. She wipes her hand before staring at Derek with an unreadable expression. 

        "I didn't," Diana answers. "I didn't escape hell. I'm still there." 

        Derek didn't know how to respond which was something she had expected. 

        "I'm better at masking my pain," Diana answers. "I'm better at acting like things are ok. I have to... because if I don't, then Isaac and Scott and Stiles would worry. I don't want them to worry." 

        "They're not here," Derek tells her. 

        Diana is silent, watching something in the darkness around them. She smiles faintly at this and looks over at Derek. 

        "You're right," she answers, her eyes brimmed with unshed tears. Her voice was still even, but filled with deep emotion. "They aren't here." 

        It seemed that with every breath she took, her mask became looser, her emotions became evident. Years of repression and now it was all out. Her hand quickly cover her mouth to muffle her cries. Her vision starts to blur with tears... so many tears. She gasps for air and once again something breaks inside her. 

        "Erica and Boyd," Diana cries out. "Oh God... they're dead." 

        Derek found himself reaching for Diana. Her pain mirrored his own. 

        "It's all my fault," she cries out. "It's all my fault." 

        Derek didn't correct her. He didn't tell her it was actually his fault, because he knew it wouldn't help. Diana would only find her own reasons to explain how it was her fault and she did. 

        "I told Erica about the bite... I told her I could heal her!" Diana exclaims. "And I sent Boyd to help you with Kali. I should have gone myself but I was  _so_ angry at you. Oh God, I killed them!" 

       The loss of her betas causing her to crack under pressure. She let out a loud scream into his chest. Her human equivalent of a howl to express her tremendous pain.

        " _Where did we go wrong, Derek?"_ Diana asks him. " _Where did everything go wrong?"_


	10. The Girl Who Knew Too Much

Third POV

        Another body turns up at the school, an officer this time, and the Sheriff and the rest of the deputies were interviewing the staff in hopes of catching this serial killer before more murders occurred. Stiles was currently hiding behind a column, spying on his dad until he got caught. Stiles attempts to run away, but the Sheriff catches him before he can.

        "Hey!" Sheriff Stilinski exclaims as his catches on Stiles' backpack. "Back it up. I know what you're thinking. I know you've got all these ideas about patterns and people dying in threes..."

        "Dad, _murdered_ , okay?" Stiles corrects. "Sacrificed, actually."

        "I've got half the state, including the FBI, coming in on this." Sheriff tells Stiles. "They're not getting away with killing one of our own."

        "Dad, they killed Tara." Stiles remarks. "You know, how many times she helped me with my math homework when I had to wait at the station for you?"

        "Just, uh, get to class, okay?" Sheriff says motioning Stiles to get going. Reluctantly, Stiles does as told and makes his way to his next class. 

        Scott sat next to Stiles as their English class started. Ms. Blake made her way around the room as she started the lesson of the day. 

        "Idioms, analogies, metaphors, and similes, all tools the writer uses to tell their story." Jennifer states. She stops beside Lydia who is currently drawing a tree on her notebook. "Lydia, I wasn't aware you had so many hidden talents."

        "You and every guy I've ever dated..." Lydia mutters causing Jennifer to chuckle out nervously.

        "Oh, um, well, that was an idiom, by the way." Jennifer points out before continuing on her way. "Idioms are something of a secret to the people who know the language or the culture. They're phrases that only make sense if you know key words. Saying "jump the gun" is meaningful only if you know about the starting gun in a race, or a phrase like "seeing the whole board."

        "Like chess." Stiles pipes in.

        "That's right, Stiles." Jennifer replies. "Do you play?"

        "Uh, no." Stiles answers. "My father does."

        Jennifer nods at this and continues to make her way around the room and going on with the lesson. Once Jennifer wasn't near them, Scott turned to Stiles with a new plan.

        "I think I can get to Ethan." Scott tells him. "I'm pretty sure I can make him talk."

        "What do you want to do that for?" Stiles asks him.

        "The druids are emissaries, right?" Scott asks Stiles instead. "So what if the Darach was an emissary to the Alphas?"

        "Okay, first of all, I cannot believe that we've gotten to the point where a sentence like "what if the Darach was an emissary to the alphas?" Actually makes sense to me. Second of all, we're gonna have a huge problem getting to Ethan."

        "What's that?" Scott asks him.

        "Going through Aiden." Stiles points out. "Ever since he's been back at school, they're always together. How are we gonna separate them again?"

        Scott sits up when an idea pops into his head and Stiles instantly comes up with the same answer. They both slowly turn behind them to look at Lydia.

        "What now?" Lydia asks as she takes notice of both of them.

****

        Scott and Stiles' plan to use Lydia to distract Aidan had worked. While Lydia held Aidan in Coach's office, Scott and Stiles managed to corner Ethan out by the hallways. 

        "Why are you even talking to me? I helped kill your friend. How do you know I'm not gonna kill another one?" Ethan asks them knowing he would get in trouble if he was caught with both of them.

        "Is he looking at me? Are you threatening me?" Stiles exclaims. "You know what I'm gonna do? I'm going to break off an extra large branch of Mountain ash, wrap it in wolfsbane, roll it in mistletoe, and shove it up your freaking..."

        "Whoa, Stiles, okay. We get it." Scott intervenes disturbed by Stiles' threat. Scott turns to a nervous-looking Ethan and tries to get back on track. "We're talking to you because I know that you didn't want to kill Boyd. And I think that if something like that happened now, you wouldn't do it again."

        "You don't know what we owe them, especially Deucalion." Ethan explains to him. "We weren't like Kali and Ennis when we met him. We weren't Alphas."

        "What were you?" Scott asks him.

        " _Omegas."_ Ethan answers seeing Scott's genuine expression of shock. "In actual wolf packs, omegas are the scapegoat, the last to eat, the one who has to take the abuse from the rest of the pack."

        "So you and your brother were, like, the bitches of the pack?" Stiles asks him.

        "Something like that." Ethan answer quietly.

        "What happened?" Scott asks him.

        "They were killers." Ethan tells them. "I mean people talk about us as monsters. Well, they were the ones who gave us the reputation and our Alpha was the worst of them."

        "Why didn't you guys just fight back?" Stiles asks him. "Form voltron wolf, you know? Kick everyone's asses?"

        "We couldn't," Ethan tells him. "We didn't know how to control it back then."

        "Deucalion taught you." Scott says in realization.

        "And then, we fought. We took down the whole pack, one-by-one. And by the time we got to our Alpha, he was begging for his life. And we tore him apart. Literally."

        "What about your emissary?" Scott asks him in which Ethan shakes his head. "They're all dead? Kali and Ennis' too?"

        "All of them except for Deucalion's." Ethan responds.

        "You mean Morrell?" Stiles asks.

        Before Ethan could respond, he hisses in pain and looks down at his chest searching for the source.

        "Ah!"

        "What? What's wrong?" Scott asks in concern as he watches Ethan's face contort in pain. "Are you hurt?"

        "Not me." Ethan answers. "My brother." 

        It didn't take long for their hearing to catch the fight occurring in the nearby locker room. Ethan and Scott run in just in time to stop Aidan from slamming a heavy weight onto Cora's head. Stiles runs in and helps Lydia in pulling Cora up from the ground. 

        "You can't do this!" Ethan shouts at his brother.

        "She came at me!" Aidan exclaims as he pulls himself away from Ethan.

        "It doesn't matter," Ethan argues. "Kali gave Derek until the next full moon. You can't touch him or her."

        Aidan looks down and catches Lydia's fearful look directed towards him. Ethan nods towards Scott in some sort of apology and drags his brother out of the locker room. Stiles checks in on Cora and sees her coming in and out of consciousness. 

        "Hey guys," Stiles calls out to both of them. "I think she's pretty hurt." 

        It took a while for Cora to gain back consciousness. The head wound was still open and bleeding but Cora was able to stand on her own. She walked over to the bathroom sink and started to clean it up. 

        "You okay?" Scott asks her.

        "She doesn't look okay." Lydia points out.

        "I'll heal." Cora sighs out before taking a step back. Her balance begins to falter and Scott and Stiles begin to reach for her. Cora regains her footing and glares at both of them. "I said I'm fine."

        "Do you realize how suicidally crazy that was?" Stiles asks her. "What were you thinking going after them?"

        "I did it for Boyd." Cora exclaims. "None of you were doing anything."

        "We're trying," Scott tells her.

        "And you're failing." Cora states. "You're just a bunch of stupid teenagers running around, thinking that you can stop people from getting killed. But all you do is show up late." Cora turns and starts to walk away. "All you really do is find the bodies."

        Cora leaves the locker room and Stiles turns to Scott and Lydia. 

        "She's definitely a Hale." Stiles sarcastically states. "I'll make sure she gets home." 

*************

        The car slowly comes to a stop at the front of the school door. Diana shifts the gear into parking and turns her focus on Derek who was sitting beside her. Her gaze follows his and she finds herself staring at the doors of the school. She knew he was looking for Jennifer in those closed doors and as much as she hated to admit it, her heart broke by knowing this. After a moment of silence, Diana decided to speak up. 

        "I know that the past few days we were ok, but now that we're back I understand if we're on opposing sides again." Diana states. "But I just have one question to ask before you shut me out again." 

        Derek doesn't answer and Diana takes a deep breath before letting the question slip out of her mouth. 

        "Are you happy?" 

        "Hmm?" Derek hums out as he turns his attention to her. 

        "Are you finally happy?" Diana asks again as she nods towards the school’s doors. "With her?"  

        Derek didn’t know how to respond as he stared at those exact doors recalling that Jennifer was waiting inside. Those exact doors were the same ones he had bumped into Diana for the first time. Derek shakes himself from that memory and thinks over Diana's question.

        "Yes, I think I am." Derek finds himself saying before stepping out of the car, not looking back. He misses the pained expression in Diana’s eyes as she follows him entering the building. 

        Derek goes through the halls but isn't able to find her. He walks near the lacrosse fields and that's when he finally catches sight of her. She seems to have seen him as well and starts to run towards him. Jennifer jumps into his arms and sighs at the sight of him. She kisses him passionately before pulling away and looking over at him. 

        "Where the hell have you been?" she asks him. "The last time I saw you, this woman, _Diana_ , is there and packing your bags for you two to leave. You didn't even talk to me."

        "She's my ex," Derek tells her. "But you don't have to worry about her, we're... estranged."

        Jennifer looked at him questioningly and Derek wasn't in the mood to give her a rundown of the past two years with Diana.

        "We both lost a member of our pack. It was her duty to take me out so we can both recover from the loss," Derek tries to explain to her. "You don't have to worry about her. Nothing happened between us and I'm here now. And you were safe. Trust me."

        "I haven't felt safe," Jennifer confesses to him. "Partially because the evil twins are walking around school like nothing happened."

        "They're not gonna hurt you." Derek tells her.

        Jennifer smiles at this and was about kiss him once more when the school bell rings. 

        "Some days, I just wanna take a sledgehammer to that bell." Jennifer sighs out as she pulls away from Derek's arms.

        "Why don't you just come back with me?" Derek asks her.

        "I can't." Jennifer tells him. "I've got three more classes and I put this recital together tonight. I organized it to honor the losses at the school and... and now, it just sounds really stupid, doesn't it?"

        Derek offers her a small smile as he hears this.

        "No," he responds. "It sounds perfect."

***************

Diana's POV,  _The Animal Clinic_

        The bell rings above me as I make my way in. I pass through the empty reception desk and make my way back. I quickly find Deaton feeding the dogs. As soon as he catches sight of me, he stops and makes his way out of the room. He looks down at the sports bag in my hand and sighs. 

        "I'm having a day," I state as I throw the bag towards him. "Mind closing down for a bit?" 

        Deaton looks into the bag and sighs once more. It didn't take long for Deaton to lock up and we made the short drive to my apartment. Deaton goes ahead and changes while I pull out the matt into the open area of the living area. 

        "This isn't about Boyd, is it?" Deaton says as he comes out of the bathroom dressed in workout clothes. 

        "No," I answer as I wrap my hands. "It's about Derek." 

        "What did he do this time?" Deaton asks me as he pulls on the punching mitts on and steps onto the matt. He raises his hands up ready for me to hit. 

        "He's happy..." I say as I make a quick jab to his right, "...with her." 

        "And you're just jealous." Deaton states as he makes a quick swipe with his left causing me to duck. I send two strong punches into his waiting hands before answering. 

        "I'm tired." 

        "Of a few minutes of sparring?" Deaton asks confused as his hands start to lower. I quickly motion for him to raise them up and I send a quick before sending a strong right hook that Deaton barely blocked. 

        "I'm tired of feelings," I answer. "I'm tired of this town and the problems that come with it. I never wanted more guilt than I already had, but I keep getting more." 

        "Boyd wasn't your fault," Deaton tells me. 

        "And what about Erica?" I ask him as I quicken my attacks. "I convinced her to get the bite and now she's dead." Deaton swipes at me and I duck under it before sending him a quick cross. "Who's going to be next? Isaac? Scott?" The force of my punches start to force Deaton to take a step back. "Who is going to be bleeding out in my arms next?" I exclaim as I continued with my attack. "Cora? Stiles?" I ask as Deaton crashes onto the nearby wall. "Derek?" 

        My punch flies through the air and crashes besides Deaton's head. My fist cracks the plaster and I grimace as I pull my hand out and take notice of the blood stains decorating the wall. 

        "I'm sorry," I whisper to Deaton as I start to unwrap my bleeding hand. "I got carried away." 

        Deaton pulls of the gloves and takes my hand into his. The cuts were deep but were healing. 

        "It seems to me that you still have some unsolved issues," Deaton states. 

        "I have 7 years of unresolved issues," I remark. "None of them are going to be fixed soon." 

        I look over the wall once more and sigh. 

        "That's going to have to be repaired..." I mutter. 

        "Diana?" 

        "What?" I ask as I turn to Deaton who's looking at me with concern. 

        "About Derek..." 

        "Old news," I cut him off. "There's more urgent things I should be focused on." 

        "At least admit it," Deaton sighs out. "You're upset that he's moved on from you." 

        "You're wrong," I tell him. "I'm actually happy for him." 

         I look away from his knowing eyes and sigh. 

        "All I ever wanted for him is to be happy," I confess to Deaton. "And for a second there, I thought that there was a possibility that he could be happy with me, but I was wrong. He deserves someone  _good_." I sink down into my couch and look over my healed hand. "And I'm not good, I'm bad. I am poison... toxic."

        Deaton kneels in front of me and forces my eyes to meet his. 

        "You know that's not true." 

        I start to chuckle lowly at this, but Deaton just scowls at me. 

        "Scott and Stiles look up to you and they trust you." Deaton tells me. "Isaac is always defending you and he knows you will protect him from anything and everything." 

        "But..." 

        "Cora still sees you as her best friend," Deaton continues on. "And  _I_ still see that fifteen year old who used to work for me. The one who smiled at every living thing in this world. The one who radiated light and happiness into everything and everyone." 

        I start to look away but Deaton pulls my face towards his. 

        "You think that girl is dead, but I know that's not true." Deaton states. "That girl is still in there. She's only been hidden by a curtain of guilt that isn't even yours."

        I feel the tears rise to my eyes and try to will them away.

        "Your years of hunting are long gone," Deaton tells me. "And even then, you hunted those who were more animal than men. You were saving innocent lives." 

        Tears start to roll down my cheeks and Deaton wipes them away. 

        "Diana," Deaton whispers slightly mournfully. "From everyone here, you're the one who deserves happiness." 

        I pull away from Deaton's hold and stand up. I make my way to the window and wipe the still falling tears from my cheeks. I take a deep breath as I tried to gain back control of my flooding emotions. 

        "I thought that too, once." I tell Deaton. "I convinced myself I deserved a happy ending." 

        I turn to face Deaton whose expression seems to have darkened. He seemed to know where this was headed.

        "I couldn't have been more wrong." I whisper as my attention goes back to the window. "Death follows me everywhere..."

**************

Third POV,  _Stilinski Residence_  

        Stiles was driving Cora back to Derek's loft when he suddenly got a phone call from Allison. She had stayed home in order to look over her dad's research and find anything that could be helpful. Isaac was with her and they had both found something hence the call to Stiles. 

        "Philosophers?" Stiles asks as Allison explained the Celtic five-knot circle.

        "And Guardians, which after last night has to mean something like law enforcement, right?" Allison assumes. "Stiles, you have to tell your dad. Tell him whatever you need, but you have to get him to believe. Tell your dad. _Warn him_."  

        "Okay, okay, okay, I know." Stiles sighs out before hanging up the phone call. Cora turns to him, having overheard the conversation.

        "What are you gonna do?" Cora asks him.

        "I'm gonna tell him the truth." Stiles answers nervously. "And I'm gonna need your help."

        Stiles changes directions and starts to make his way towards home. His mind was racing with a plan as to how he could possibly explain all of this to his dad. Cora and Stiles make it to the house just in time to catch the Sheriff from leaving for his next shift. Stiles drags them both to his room and tries to think of a reasonable way to explain this to his dad. 

        "Stiles?" Sheriff asks after seeing Stiles pace for a while.

        "Dad, I'm sorry, okay?" Stiles responds. "I'm just... I'm trying to... I'm just trying to figure out how to start here."

        "Hey, I don't have this kind of time." Sheriff sighs out.

        "Um, for the last year, you've had all these cases that you couldn't figure out, right?" Stiles asks him. "I mean, all the murders involving Kate Argent, and then Matt killing all the people who had drowned him, and all these murders right now. It's like... it's like you've been playing a losing game."

        "Stiles, the last thing I need right now is a job performance review from my own son." Sheriff exclaims.

        "I know." Stiles sighs out before he catches sight of the chessboard nearby. "Okay, see, but that's... that's just it, dad. The reason that you're losing the game is because you've never been able to see the whole board." Stiles pulls out the chessboard and lays it out in front of his dad. "I need to show you the whole board." 

        Cora rolled her eyes as she saw Stiles place labels on different pieces of the board. He had a color for every specific creature and a placement on the chess. The Sheriff listened through Stiles' frantic explanation in silence before stopping Stiles mid-explanation. 

        "Scott and Derek are werewolves?" Sheriff asks.

        "Yes." Stiles answers.

        "And Kate Argent was a werewolf?"

        "Hunter." Stiles corrects as he points out the chess piece. "That's... purple's hunter."

        "Along with Allison and her father." Cora adds in. "Diana _used_ to be a hunter but now she's a werewolf."

        "Yeah," Stiles adds in as he points out another section of the board. "She's in the turquoise over here."  

        "Ok, and... and my friend Deaton, the veterinarian, is a Kanima?" Sheriff asks.

        "Well, no," Stiles responds. "He's a druid, okay? Well, we think."

        "So who's the Kanima?" Sheriff asks confused.

        "Jackson." Stiles answers.

        "No, Jackson's a werewolf." Sheriff states as he points out the colored label.

        "Jackson was the Kanima first, and then Peter and Derek killed him and he came back to life as a werewolf." Stiles explains. "Now, he's in London."

        "Who's the Darack?" Sheriff then asks, his head aching with all of the names and types.

        "It's da-rach." Stiles pronounces.  

        "We don't know yet." Cora tells him.

        "But he was killed by werewolves?" Sheriff as them.

        "Slashed up and left for dead." Stiles adds in.

        "We think." Cora corrects.

        The Sheriff sighs at this and sits back in his chair, looking over the chessboard in confusion.

        "Yeah," the Sheriff sighs out. "So why was Jackson the Kanima?"

        "Because sometimes, the shape that you take reflects the person that you are." Stiles explains to him.

        "And what shape would an increasingly confused and angrier-by-the-second father take?" Sheriff asks annoyed.

        "Uh, that would be more of an expression like the one you're currently wearing." Stiles stammers out.

        "Yeah." Sheriff grits out before standing up from his chair. He shrugs on his jacket and was ready to leave the room and Stiles' crazy explanation.

        "Dad... Dad, would you..." Stiles calls out to him before looking over at Cora. "I can prove it, okay? Look, she's one of them. A werewolf."

        "Stiles, Stiles! That's enough." Sheriff exclaims.

        "Dad, can you please just hold on?" Stiles asks him as he turns to Cora. "You ready?"

        Cora nods and stands up right behind Stiles.

        "Alright, dad, just watch this, okay?" Stiles begins to say before he hears something hit the floor. Both turn to find Cora collapsed on the floor. The Sheriff runs past Stiles and starts to check for her pulse. After a few seconds, the Sheriff looks up at Stiles with concern.

        "Call an ambulance." 

****

        Cora was committed into the hospital and was stable now. Once that was done, the Sheriff gets another call of another body being found, this time a teacher. They all had it wrong. It wasn't Guardians that they were after, it was Philosophers. There was only one more sacrifice left and they knew where all the teachers were going to be that night; at the recital. Scott, Allison, and Isaac were headed there while Stiles tried to get his dad to see reason once more. 

        "What did you see the night at the bank when Scott was trying to save Deaton?" Stiles asks him desperately.

        "Nothing." The Sheriff answers as he tries to leave the hospital with Stiles in tow. 

        "Dad, you saw him healing himself after he tried crossing the mountain ash." Stiles continues to explain.

        "I don't know what I saw." the Sheriff sighs out.

        "You saw something that you can't explain."

        "Stiles, I have seen a lot of things I can't explain in this town. That doesn't make them supernatural and it doesn't make them real." The Sheriff tells him. "They just found another body. That's real. And that's the lead I'm following."

        "Yeah, and another teacher's going to die if you don't start listening to me." Stiles exclaims annoyed.

        "I am listening! I have been listening!" The Sheriff shouts, gaining all of the attention from the hospital staff nearby. Stiles pauses for a second, ignoring the startled gazes that were coming their way.

        "You just don't believe." Stiles whispers. The Sheriff shakes his head and starts to make his way out. "Mom would've believed me." 

        The Sheriff pauses as he hears this, a harsh memory coming into his mind. He knew what he had to do and starts to make his way out of the hospital once more. 

****

        The band was warming up as student and teachers socialized in the outskirts of the room. Ethan and Aidan were present to keep an eye out for Derek and his pack. As of the moment, Scott was the only one there and he was more concerned in catching the Darach from killing someone else. Scott looks around the room and finds Lydia walking in. 

        "I thought you were going home."

        "I can't." Lydia sighs out as her eyes scans the room. "I don't know why I am the one that keeps finding the bodies, but maybe if I just stopped trying to fight it, I'd find them before it happens, maybe with enough time for someone like you to do something about it."

        Hearing this, Scott becomes more determined to end this.

        "You get me the time, and I'll do something about it." Scott tells her. "I swear to God, I will." 

**************

        Derek sat beside Cora and held her hand so tightly into his. Cora hadn't woken up yet and the doctors had told him it was likely she wouldn't wake up anytime soon. She suffered a very harsh head trauma that left them all confused as to how she was able to survive it for as long as she did. Derek didn't care about the medical anomaly. All he wanted to know is if his sister was going to make it. 

        "Derek?" Cora calls out to him quietly.

        "Hey." Derek whispers back as he smiles at her. "Hey, I'm here."

        "What's happening to me?" Cora asks him afraid.

        "I don't know." Derek tells her. "But I'm not leaving, okay? Not again." 

        Derek pressed a kiss on her forehead and sat back into the chair. Cora turns her head towards the door and smiles weakly at the person standing nearby. 

       [ "You came." ](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=219092320)

        Derek looks up to find Diana standing nervously by the door. Diana ignores his stare as she smiled at Cora. 

        "Stiles called me," Diana explains. "I wanted to make sure you were alright." 

        Cora extends her other free hand towards Diana and Diana hesitates in coming in. She looks towards Derek for permission who simply watches her. Diana makes her way into the room and takes the other seat. She takes Cora's extended hand into her own and smiles at her. 

        "Do you remember the time I got the flu?" Diana asks her. Cora chuckles at this and nods. "I was practically dying and you came over and brought me soup." 

        "I also brought movies," Cora coughs out. "I'm assuming you didn't bring those though." 

        Diana tearfully smiles down at her. 

        "I'm afraid I didn't," Diana responds. "But I'm sure there's something on TV." 

        Diana starts to look for the remote control to the small screen perched in the corner of the room but is unable to find it. Her eyes narrow as she searches around the room for it and she was about to call for a nurse when Derek stopped her from doing so. Diana looked down at her wrist to find Derek's hand grasping it. Her eyes then turn to Cora who is fast asleep. At the sight of this, Diana sinks down into her chair, concern all over her face. 

        "You don't have to stay." Derek tells her. Diana looks up at him nervously and then back down at Cora. 

        "If you don't mind, I want to stay." Diana tells him. "She's my friend." 

        Her eyes then turn to lock on his. 

        "And you need someone," Diana says genuinely. "You shouldn't be alone in this." 

        "I haven't really been alone these past few weeks," Derek responds as he referred to Jennifer. Diana sits back as she hears this, a blank mask covering the hurt that she felt. 

        "Well then, maybe this is more about what I need." Diana responds. "Maybe I don't want to be the one who's alone."

        Derek looks up at her, surprised by her confession, but as usual Diana's face was unreadable. Her usual blank mask was on as she looked down at a sleeping Cora. She didn't show it, but Derek knew she cared and he didn't understand why.  

****

        After checking out the crime scene and thinking over what Stiles had told him, the Sheriff returned to the hospital with a new perspective on the case. He found a familiar face at the reception desk and sighed in relief at the sight of Melissa. The Sheriff pulls out his notebook of notes and tells her what he needs.

        "The records would be over ten years old." The Sheriff tells her. "I just need to look over a couple files."

        "If this is about the murders, you would need a court order for that." Melissa states but seeing the stressed look on his face she eases up on the rules. "Or someone like me that's willing to bend the rules for a handsome face. Give me the details. I'll see what I can do."

        "Thank you." Sheriff sighs out. 

        Melissa takes the notes that the Sheriff had written out and makes her way down to the file room. She looks over the criteria he had given to her and slowly but surely finds a case that matches his description. 

        "There was a patient just like you described." Melissa tells him as she brings up the file to him. "Slash marks all over the body. Doctors thought it had to be an animal."

        The Sheriff takes the file and looks over himself.

        "Oh, but there's something else." Melissa says as she points out a minor detail on the file. "Something happened at the same time that was even stranger." 

        "Birds?" the Sheriff asks as he reads that.

        "Hundreds of them." Melissa tells him. "While the patient was in the O.R. struggling to hold on, hundreds of birds were flying into the walls and windows, like they were committing some kind of mass suicide."

        The Sheriff pauses as he hears this knowing a better way to describe the phenomenon.

        "Or like they were sacrificing themselves."

        "For what?" Melissa asks.

        "Not what." Sheriff states. " _Who_." 

****

        The recital begins with the orchestra playing a slow solemn piece. Lydia and Scott sat next to each other and waited for some sign of the Darach. After a few minutes of the recital starting, Lydia's phone vibrates with a text from Aidan telling her to meet her. Lydia moves to go meet Aidan privately while Scott turns to find Isaac and Allison walking into the recital. Scott nods at them silently as they made their way to the other side of the recital. Shortly after that, Stiles came running in. 

        Lydia makes her way down the hallway searching for Aidan. She enters the classroom and finds it completely empty. She suspected something was wrong and her suspicions were confirmed right when she starts to hear the chanting that seemed to surround every sacrifice victim. 

        "You recognize it, don't you?"

        Lydia gasps in shock as she turns around and finds Ms. Blake standing right behind her. Before Lydia could respond, Ms. Blake hits her across the head. 

        By this point, the orchestra and the choir start to play and sing the same dark chant. Stiles and Scott realize that something is wrong and find that Lydia is gone from her seat. They run out of the recital and out to the school courtyard. 

        "Lydia?" Stiles shouts in worry.

        "Lydia!" Scott calls out as she searches the perimeter but doesn't find her. His gold eyes scanned the entirety of the school in search of her heat signature.

        "Anything?" Stiles asks him. Scott shakes his head and Stiles looks down at his phone. "She's not answering texts. What do we do?" 

        Lydia gasps awake and feels a pounding on her head. Her head lulls down and she finds herself seated in a chair. Ms. Blake stood in front of her with a calm expression that made Lydia uneasy. 

        "What are you doing?" Lydia asks her.

        "What's necessary." Ms. Blake answers. "I'm still surprised none of you seem to get that. You call them sacrifices, but you're not understanding the word."

        Ms. Blake's face becomes blurry in Lydia's eyes as she tries to shake away the drowsiness caused by the head injury.

        "It's derived from the Latin _sacrificium_ , an offering to a deity, a sacred rite." Ms. Blake explains. "A necessary evil."  

        "Stop," Lydia pleads as Ms. Blake circles around her like a predator does to it's prey.

        "Oh, I wish I could." Ms. Blake says unemotionally. "But you don't know the Alphas like I do."

        "Please, stop." Lydia cries out once more as the garotte covers her neck.

        "But you, Lydia, you're not a sacrifice." Ms. Blake tells her. "You're just a girl who knows too much... Actually, a girl who _knew_ too much."

        Lydia pulls at the garotte and tries to stop Ms. Blake from killing her. Ms. Blake shouts at her to just let the inevitable occur, but Lydia was not going to stop. Instead, she lets out a loud scream. 

        Scott winces and drops to the ground as he hears it. Isaac, Ethan and Aidan cover their ears as they hear it as well. The scream even reaches the hospital miles away as Diana and Derek look up in fear of what it meant. 

        Lydia's scream fades away and she drops her hand from the garotte. Ms. Blake lets out a small laugh and looks down at Lydia in wonder. 

        "Unbelievable."

        Ms. Blake circles around her once more to face her.

        "You have no idea what you are, do you?" Ms. Blake asks her as Lydia stared at her with almost lifeless eyes. "The wailing woman, a  _banshee_ , right before my eyes."

        Ms. Blake makes her way back and pulls out the duct tape. 

        "You're just like me, Lydia." Ms. Blake states. "Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it."

        She pulls Lydia's hand onto the armrest and tapes it down. Lydia pleads once more to her, but her words fall on deaf ears. 

        "It's too bad, though... And too late."

        The garotte tightens around Lydia's neck and she gasps for air. Ms. Blake then pulls out the knife out of her pocket and swings it out to Lydia's neck.

        "One last philosopher." 

        Ms. Blake feels the music resonating from the recital nearby. She closes her eyes as she gains the last sacrifice from the teacher playing the piano. She hears the distant screams of the parents and students, but ignores it as a new wave of power envelops her. 

        "Drop it!"

        Jennifer's eyes snap open and she finds the Sheriff standing across from her with a gun pointed straight at her. She looks at him in surprise, not realizing that he, from all people, was able to find out that it was truly her. There was no time to waste and so Jennifer throws the blade in her hand into the Sheriff's shoulder, causing him to release the gun on her. Before Jennifer could make a run for it, a loud growl resonates in the room. 

        Scott wolves out in front of the Sheriff and jumps across the desks to reach Ms. Blake. Jennifer looks at him in surprise and as Scott swings at her, she ducks under it. With her newfound strength, Jennifer hits Scott on his chest and sends him flying across the room. Scott crashes into the wall, blood spilling out of his mouth, and is knocked out cold. 

        Stiles finally catches up and was about to enter the room when Ms. Blake easily sends the desk to block the door. Stiles screams and crashes against the door but with no avail it remains shut. 

        "There was a girl." The Sheriff grabs the gun with his uninjured arm and pulls it up towards. "Years ago, we found her in the woods, her face and body slashed apart. That was you, wasn't it?"

        "Maybe I should've started with philosophers, with knowledge and strategy." Jennifer states as she approaches the injured Sheriff. The Sheriff sends a shot towards her leg to stop her, but it heals quickly.

        "Healers..." Jennifer explains as she approaches the Sheriff. She grabs the dagger embed on his left shoulder and pulls him up. "Warriors..." Jennifer says as the Sheriff drops the gun. "Guardians..." she whispers as she rips off his Sherriff's badge and easily crumbles it up.

        Jennifer looks at the Sheriff closely and smiles a dangerous smile.

        "Virgins."

        Jennifer presses a kiss on his lips and when the Sheriff opens his eyes, he sees the serpent underneath the flower. A face slashed up beyond comparison.

        Stiles frantically slams himself against the door and manages to open it just a crack. From there, Stiles is able to slip through. He hears the windows crash and looks around the room. Scott by that time has recovered and looks up at his friend with worry. They both stare out of the window. 

        "Dad?"


	11. The Overlooked

        As much as I hated to trust Peter in this situation, I was forced to since I had no other choice. I sat on the spiraled staircase overlooking Derek's dark apartment. Thunder striked outside and illuminated the room slightly before letting it succumb to darkness once more. My senses catches the rapid clicking of heels out on the hallway and soon Derek's loft doors slide open with Jennifer running inside. 

        "Derek?" she shouts, her face being temporarily illuminated by the lightning of the thunderstorm. "Derek, where are you?"

        "Right here." Derek answers as he steps out of the room and joins her in the living area.

        "Yeah," I state causing Jennifer to snap towards me in surprise. "We're both here."

        She seems to be caught of guard from my appearance but her focus returns to Derek once more.

        "Well good," she sighs out. "Something happened at the recital... at the school. Okay, I need to tell you before you hear it, before you hear any of it from them."

        "From who?" Derek asks her.

        Jennifer warily looks up at me, but returns her eyes to Derek.

        "Scott, Stiles." she answers. "They're gonna tell you things. Things you can't believe. You have to trust me, okay? You trust me."

        "What is it?" Derek asks, concern flickering in his eyes.

        "Promise you'll listen to me." Jennifer asks once more.

        "I promise."

        Jennifer seems hesitant with her actions, her posture stiffened, and I knew it was all due to me. She kisses Derek in front of me and I look down at my hands that were wringing each other out. The kiss doesn't last long and we all knew why.

        "They're already here, aren't they?" she asks as she steps away from Derek's hold. "So... they told you it was me? That I'm the one taking people?"

        "No, that isn't the exact wording they used," I remark as I stand up from the staircase and make my way down. Stiles and Scott show up shortly behind me.

        "We told them you're the one killing people." Scott states.

        "Oh, that's right." Jennifer scoffs out. "Committing human sacrifices? What, cutting their throats?" Jennifer exclaims as she backs away from Derek and the rest of us. "Yeah, I probably do it on my lunch hour. That way, I can get back to teaching high school English the rest of the day. That makes perfect sense."

        "Where's my dad?" Stiles asks, not phased by Jennifer's attempt to undermine what we all knew.

        "How should I know?" Jennifer asks as she turns to Derek. "Derek, tell me you don't believe this."

        Derek narrowed his eyes at her and I cleared my throat, snapping Derek out of his angry haze.

        "Do you know what happened to Stiles's father?" Derek asks her.

        "No."

        "Ask her why she almost killed Lydia." Scott states.

        "Lydia Martin?" Jennifer asks, feigning confusion. "I don't know anything about that."

        "What do you know?" I ask in distaste and annoyed by the waste of time.

        "I know that these boys, for whatever misguided reason, are filling your head with an absurd story." Jennifer explains solely to Derek. "I know your crazy wolf ex is desperate for some sort of wedge to drive between us." I scoff at this but Jennifer ignores it and continues with her crazed explanation. "Neither of them can prove any of this, by the way."

        "What if we can?" Scott asks as he pulls out a vial from his pocket.

        "What is that?" Jennifer asks, her face displaying concern as Scott uncapped the vial. 

        "My boss told me it's a poison and a cure," Scott explains to all of us. "Which means you can use it... and it can be used against you."

        "Mistletoe?" Jennifer gasps out.

        Before she can run, Scott throws the powder mistletoe out into the air. Jennifer is caught in the cloud and her face and body shifts into a scarred and unhuman form. We all step away as her true face is shown and I was completely shocked. Once the mistletoe settled, Jennifer turns away from all of us and attempt so outrun us. Derek quickly catches her and grasped her throat tightly. 

        "Derek, wait, wait!" Jennifer gasps out to him. "You need me."

        "What are you?" Derek grits out.

        "The only person who can save your sister." Jennifer states causing me and Derek to falter. "Call Peter. Call him!" 

        Derek looks at all of us in fear and I quickly pull out my phone and call Peter. He answers fairly quickly and not wasting anytime I ask him about Cora's state. 

        " _It's not good_." Peter answers. " _She's in and out of consciousness. She's vomiting up black blood along with one other alarming substance."_

I look up at Derek in concern, "Mistletoe." 

        " _How did you know that?_ " Peter asks surprised.

        "I have to go," I tell him before hanging up seeing as Derek was choking the life out of Jennifer.

        "Derek... Derek, what are you doing?" Scott asks concerned.

        "Her life..." Jennifer gasps out as Derek raises her higher in the air. "...it's in my hands!"

        "Stop." Stiles shouts. "Derek, stop!"

         "Stilinski, you'll never find him." Jennifer gasps out.

        "Derek." I call out as I step towards him. "Derek, stop!"

        His eyes flicker to mine for a split second and Derek turns back to Jennifer, throwing her down onto the ground. Jennifer takes a deep breath of air and smiles through the fallen curtain of her hair.

        "That's right." Jennifer states. "You need me. _All of you_."

*****

        The thunderstorm continued on outside and we knew we were all running out of time. Derek and Scott made sure to escort Jennifer down to the car as we all headed towards the hospital to save Cora. Derek was driving a separate car with Jennifer as Scott, Stiles, and I followed closely behind him. 

        "I don't know," Stiles sighs out. "Something feels wrong about this. You know, we proved it to Derek, but she still had this look like it didn't matter. You know... like it was all still going according to plan." Stiles glances at the both of us. "You saw it, didn't you?"

        I lean back on my seat and sigh worriedly. Stiles was right, but there was no knowing in what Jennifer wanted. 

        We reach the hospital which was empty of cars and most of the general staff. We all rush out of the rain and enter the evacuating hospital. We all climb into the elevator, all keeping an eye on Jennifer. 

        "You don't have to keep me on a leash, Derek." Jennifer states motioning to the hold Derek had on her. "I'm going to help."

        I snort at that and Jennifer watches me warily before turning away. The elevator comes to a stop and Derek leads the way to Cora's room. He comes to a sudden stop and I take notice of the empty hospital bed and the black vomit on the floor that leaves a small trail

        "Derek," I call out. 

        Our eyes follow that trail towards the closed doors. We can all hear the fight occurring behind before the doors swing open with Peter's sliding body. It takes a while for Peter to blink awake.

        "We got a problem," Peter groans out before looking down the hallway. " _Big_ problem."

        The Alpha twins had joined their body and were blocking the hallway. Derek doesn't hesitate to wolf out and runs towards the conjoined Alpha by himself. Derek got a few hits in, but it didn't matter as he got thrown to the side. Scott quickly comes to Derek's aid and holds the conjoined Alpha longer. My eyes trail away from the fight and I see Cora's unconscious body laying out on the floor. 

        "Help me," I tell Stiles and Peter as I make my way down the hall.

        Luckily for us, Scott managed to clear the way for us to run down and pick up Cora. As Peter and Stiles carried her out, I turn to help a slow-healing Derek off the floor.

        "Ethan, Aiden, stop!" Scott shouts at them. "You don't know what you're doing."

        " **All we want is her."** They growl out.

        The elevator bell rings and we all turn to see Jennifer making her escape. With this distraction, Scott was able to slip out of the Alpha's hold and we all started to run down the hallway after Cora.

        "Don't stop, don't stop!" Derek shouts as he rallies behind us and moves us forward. I help Peter carry Cora forward and slow down when I hear Scott call out for Stiles. It didn't take long for them to join us, but that was after they had another altercation with the Alpha. 

        We reach near the end of the hallway and decide to hide out in a room. Peter sets Cora down on a hospital bed nearby as Derek and Scott run behind us and close the doors. I start to inspect the unconscious Cora and take notice of her low heartbeat and dilated eyes. 

        "Where's the big guy?" Stiles asks them.

        "He's close." Derek answers.

        "What about Ms. Blake?" Stiles asks. Scott shakes his head and the rest of us avoid his stare. "What do you mean? What does that mean? Like, she's gone?"

        "Stiles..." Scott tries to explain.

        "Scott, are you kidding me?" Stiles exclaims.

        "Shh, quiet." Derek states.

        "Me be quiet? Me, huh?" Stiles exclaims angrily. "Are you telling me what to do now? When your psychotic, mass murdering girlfriend... the second one you've dated, by the way... has got my dad somewhere, tied up, waiting to be ritually sacrificed?"

        "Stiles, they're still out there." I warn him calmly.

        "And... and they want her, right?" Stiles asks us. "Which means now we don't have her either, so my dad and Cora are both dead!"

        "Not yet." Scott states. He then turns to me and looks down at Cora. "Is she really dying?"

        "She's definitely not getting any better." I tell him.

        "There has to be something that we can do." Scott states. "We have to help her."

        The doors swing open and we all look up to find Jennifer.

        "You can't. Only I can." Jennifer tells us. "I can save her, and I can tell you where Sheriff Stilinski is. But there is a pack of Alphas in this hospital who want me dead. So I'll help you... but only when I'm out of here and safe. _Only then_."

        Derek pushes aside a medical tray in his attempt to get to Jennifer. Scott and Peter act quick as they hold him back before he could do any real damage. 

        "Derek, wait!" Scott shouts.

        "She was trying to get out." Derek argues.

        "I was trying to keep from getting killed." Jennifer retors. "You can't blame me for that."

        "If you want to show you're one of the good guys, then heal her." Stiles tells her.

        "Not until I'm safe." Jennifer repeats.

        "I'd like to volunteer a different method of persuasion." Peter pipes in. "Let's torture her."

        "Works for me." Derek responds as he takes a step forward. I stop him this time and before anyone could say anything a static noise crackles in the air.

        " _Um, can I have your attention?_ "

        We all stop as we recognize the voice of Scott's mom going through the P.A. system.

        " _Mr. Deucalion... excuse me, just Deucalion... Requests you bring the woman calling herself Jennifer Blake to the E.R. reception. Do this, and everyone else can leave. You have ten minutes."_

Once the system shuts off, we all turn to look at Jennifer.

        "He's not gonna hurt her." Jennifer states.

        "Shut up," Derek grits out.

        "He won't!" Jennifer exclaims as she turns to Scott. "Scott, you know why."

        Our focus shifts from Jennifer to Scott who fidgets nervously.

        "Tell them it's true."

        "What does she mean?" I ask Scott.

        "You're not the only one he wants in his pack." Jennifer answers as she looks in between Derek and I with a sly grin. "Deucalion doesn't just want an Alpha pack. He wants perfection. That means adding the rarest of Alphas to his ranks."

        I was still confused as to what she meant. I knew that Deucalion wanted me due to my ability to turn into a wolf and I knew he wanted Derek because he was from the Hale line, but what could Scott possibly offer. He wasn't even an Alpha.

        "A True Alpha." Peter whispers.

        "What's that?" Stiles asks.

        "The kind that doesn't have to steal his power from another. One that can rise by the force of his own will." Peter explains watching Scott with interest. "Our little Scott."

        "It doesn't matter." Scott exclaims seemingly nervous by the new attention. "We still need to get her out of here."

        "Scott, your mom..." Stiles starts to say but Scott shakes his head.

        "My mom said there's one more ambulance coming in 20 minutes. And I don't think we've been here that long, so if we can get down to the garage, get to the last ambulance, we can get out of here."

        "The twins aren't gonna let us just walk out." Derek tells them.

        "I'll distract them." Scott tells him.

        "You mean _fight_ them." I correct.

        "Whatever I have to do." Scott tells me with a nod.

        "I would help, but I think it's better if I stay with her," I say as I look down at Cora and take notice of her damp skin and her short gasps of breath. 

        "I'll help you," Derek says, stepping up. 

        "Um, sorry, but I'm not going anywhere without you, Derek."

        "I'll do it." Peter steps up. "But I'd prefer to be out there with an advantage."

        "An advantage like what?" Stiles asks him. "You mean like a weapon?"

        "There has to be something in here we can use," I say as I start to open drawers in search of something. Everyone else follows after my lead and starts to look for anything useful.

        "Hey, wait. What about these?" Stiles asks as he raises up the electric paddles.

        "Do you know how to use those?" Derek asks him.

        "Well, no." Stiles replies.

        "Put them down."

        Scott then pulls out a big needle and reads the label,"Epinephrine?"

        "That's only gonna make them stronger." I tell him.

        Peter stops searching through the gauzes and looks up with interest.

        "How strong?" he asks with a grin. 

*******

        After injecting Peter and Scott with the epinephrine, they both step out onto the hallway. It didn't take long to hear the growling of a fight and we slowly make our way out of the room. Scott and Peter seemed to be able to hold their own against the Alpha twins. With them distracted, we were all able to sneak down the hallway. We make it down to the garage and find the ambulance already parked. 

        "It's still here!" Stiles shouts as he runs ahead to open the backdoor.

        Derek quickly carries Cora in and sets her down on the stretcher inside. Stiles takes a seat and I move to sit next to him before I catch the smell of blood. Derek is called away by Jennifer and I start to look over Cora in search of a wound. It takes a while before I notice that the source of the blood is not from inside of the ambulance but outside and paired with Kali's voice it didn't take long to figure out what happened.

        I slowly grab the doors and close them shut. Stiles looks at me with confusion but I motion for him to remain quiet. It didn't take long to overhear the loud growl and see Jennifer and Derek sprint by. I keep on looking out in hopes of seeing them come back, but nothing happens.

        "Okay, we have no driver, we're in a middle of a storm, and my medical knowledge only goes so far," I mumble nervously as I secure the doors of the ambulance. 

        "Umm, Diana..." Stiles mumbles quietly. "Wh... why does she look like she's not breathing?"

        I look down at Cora and can see that her chest was not rising with her breaths and that she was deadly silent. 

        "It's because she isn't breathing," I exclaim. I quickly remove my jacket and roll it up. I place it under Cora's neck before moving over and starting CPR. I glance over at Stiles who was deathly pale. "Stiles..." 

        "Oh, no. Oh, God. Oh, no, no, no..." he continues to mumble.

        "Stiles!" I exclaim, snapping him out of his haze. "I need you to help me."

        "You want me to uh..." he motions to himself and then to her and I quickly nod. Stiles takes a deep breath and moves forward. "Okay, okay, I can do this. Here we go, tilt the head. Fingers on the chin. Clear the throat. Great, nothing. I see nothing. Okay, all right, so, uh... just pinch the nose and blow." Stiles breathes air into her mouth and pulls back "Oh, come on, Cora. Come on, Cora." 

        "Less talking more breathing," I grit out to Stiles. He does as he's told and continues to breathe into her mouth while I kept Cora's heart beating. 

        "Come on, breathe." I sigh out annoyed. "Come on, Cora, breathe."

        After a while, Cora gasps for air and I stop and sigh in relief.

        "Oh, thank God," I mutter as I fall back into my seat. Stiles sighs as well.

        "If we come out of this alive, would you uh..." Stiles starts to ask as he motions himself and then to Cora. "Would you not mention this to Derek?"

        "Mention what?" I ask confused.

        "My mouth on his sister's mouth," Stiles answers. "He would gladly kill me."

        I couldn't help but chuckle nervously at this, "Your secret is safe with me, Stiles." 

        Stiles and I waited out in the ambulance waiting for some sign that we were in the clear. We kept a close eye on Cora in fear she would stop breathing again, but she seemed to be doing fine. 

        "You just hold on a little longer, okay?" Stiles says as he pats Cora's arms. "Trust me, if anyone's gonna get us out of this, it's Scott."

        I couldn't help but chuckle at that and Stiles glances at me for a fraction of a second before burying his face in his hands.

        "Can't believe I just said that." Stiles mutters. "You know, I actually used to be the one with the plan. Well, or at least a plan B. Now I don't know."

        "Stiles..." I draw out in concern as he refused to look at me. His focus was on Cora as he looked down with a dark expression on his face. 

        "Cora was right." Stiles states. "You know, maybe... maybe we are pretty much useless. Maybe all we really do is show up and find the bodies." Stiles pauses and I could see the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "I don't want to find my father's body."

        I couldn't help but pull Stiles into a much needed embrace and he let himself be comforted.

        "That's not going to happen, Stiles." I tell him. "We will find our way out of this one."

        Stiles pulls away from me and sighs. He leans his head against the seat and tries to recover. After a few minutes of silence, Stiles opens his mouth to speak but I immediately cover it. I could hear another presence in the garage and Stiles and I stiffened at the sight of the conjoined twin Alphas walking outside. I pull Stiles back in an attempt to hide and after a few seconds we both see the twins walk away.

        "That was too close," Stiles whispers. 

        I nod at that, but our relief was short lived as we heard footsteps approaching once more. Stiles turns to look out the door and then a hand suddenly slams on the window. 

        "Stiles!" Scott exclaims as he looks at the both of us. "Stiles, open the door!"

        Stiles quickly fumbles with the lock and pushes the door open for Scott. I see Peter leaning on Scott and he could barely keep his eyes open.

        "Help me get him in." Scott instructs the both of us. Stiles quickly helps Peter into the ambulance and his body ends up crashing over me before I shove him into a seat.

        "Where's Derek and Jennifer?" I ask Scott.

        "I don't know," Scott answers. "I have to go back for them and my mom."

        "Okay, two problems." Stiles begins to tell Scott. "Kali's got the keys to this thing, and I just saw the twins, like, 30 seconds ago."

        Scott was disturbed by this news, but he had no other choice.

        "Stay here." Scott states. 

        "I'm coming with you." I tell him as I stand up from my seat, but Scott quickly waves me back in. 

        "No," Scott tells me. "Peter is done and Stiles doesn't have his bat anymore. You're the only one who can protect them right now." 

        Knowing he was right, I took my seat once more and watched as Scott ran back into the hospital. It was at that moment that I realized my inner wolf had easily succumbed to his order. Scott was more of an Alpha than I had realized. 

***************

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills Hospital_

        Derek was frantically looking for a way out of the elevator. From everyone he could have been stuck with an elevator with it was his psychotic ex. Derek regretted letting Jennifer into his life since it seemed to have brought him more problems than he needed at that moment. There was nothing much he could do now, but find a way out and save Cora. Derek could only slightly open the elevator doors and they were stuck in between floors. Derek then looked up at the ceiling and contemplated escaping from there. 

        "If you're thinking service hatch, they bolt from the outside, so you'd have to break it." Jennifer tells him. "All you'd end up doing is creating a lot of noise, telling them exactly where we are."

        "Kali already knows," Derek sighs out.

        "Not necessarily." Jennifer states. "She saw that we got in, but she might not know that we didn't get out."

        "Yeah... well, if I get through, then we can go to another floor." Derek argues.

        "Or you'd end up fighting them alone in an elevator shaft." Jennifer remarks causing Derek to huff away from her. "They'll rip my head off before you even have a chance to land a punch."

        "Then someone needs to get the backup generator running again." Derek concludes as he takes out his phone and texts Scott. It takes awhile but Derek finally gets a response. " _Don't move. On our way_."

        Derek remains staring at his phone waiting for a response, any response. His thoughts were all over the place wondering if Diana and Cora managed to get out, wondering where Scott was, wondering how he could have done things differently from the very start that would have stopped him from reaching this rock bottom again. 

        "Anything?" Jennifer asks after a few minutes of silence. Derek doesn't respond and Jennifer leans her head back onto the wall and sighs. "Derek, I know what you're thinking... that I'm using you, that everything that has happened between us is a lie, or that I'm evil. A _bitch_. But I hope you're not thinking the most superficial thought... _Is that her real face?_ " Jennifer approaches him slowly and stops and stares at her reflection. "The slashed, mutilated face revealed by the mistletoe... Is that what she really looks like?"

        Derek doesn't respond. Of course, for a quick second, Derek thought of this and then he reminded himself that monsters tended to be disgusting creatures. Jennifer was a perfect example, Kate too, and Diana... well Diana has always held this dark beauty. It was what led Derek to be very conflicted by the sight of her every time. He knew she was dangerously beautiful and that's why he forced her to stay away. Derek pushed these thoughts away as he felt Jennifer's breath hit his skin. 

        "Julia Baccari." She tells him. "That was my name."

        "I don't care." Derek growls out.

        "I guess I should have changed it to something with different first letters. I think I read somewhere that people always pick aliases that are subconsciously derivative of their original name. It's a way of not completely letting go of your identity, since your name is so tied to your sense of self." Jennifer continues to tell him. "Do you know what else is? _Your face_. The one that's supposed to be staring back at you in the mirror. Not some hacked up atrocity you can't even recognize."

        "I still don't care." Derek grits out.

        "You do, though." Jennifer states. "Any man would be disgusted by the sight of my real face. That's why I had to cover it up with something nice... something you would appreciate."

        Derek stiffens as he hears this and Jennifer pushes down the smile that threatened to take over.

        "I bet you're curious now." Jennifer jabs at him. "I bet you now wonder exactly what happened."

        "You were an emissary." Derek states as he tries to end the conversation. "They tried killing you along with the rest of the pack. Mystery solved."

        "I was _Kali's_ emissary." Jennifer tells him. "And I was the one she couldn't kill." 

        Derek remained silent and kept his focus forward. 

        "For years, the Nemeton's power was virtually gone, like the dying ember of a burned out fire." Jennifer explains to Derek. "But a few months earlier, something happened that caused that ember to glow a little brighter. Something that gave it a spark of power again. _The sacrifice of a virgin_."

        Derek closed his eyes and refused to let that memory spark again.

        "You didn't know what you were doing back then, but killing Paige in the root cellar, sacrificing her there, gave power to the Nemeton." Jennifer tells Derek happily. "You gave it power again. You gave _me_ power. Just enough to hold on to life a little longer. Long enough to be found." 

        Jennifer couldn't help but smile at this as a single tear rolled down her face. She stared at Derek who would still not meet her eye. 

        "Don't you see?" she asks him. "You and I were connected from the very start and because Paige's sacrifice gave me this second chance, I honored her by replicating my face to hers. I did this for her. I did this for you!" 

        Derek scowls in disgust as he realizes the facial similarities between Jennifer and Paige. He couldn't believe he hadn't notice them until now and he hated himself for unconsciously falling for Jennifer's trap. Jennifer sees the disgust that Derek portrays and steps away. 

        "I see..." Jennifer sighs out. "This face doesn't appeal to you anymore." 

        Derek doesn't respond and Jennifer took this as answer. She was right. He still, unknowingly, cared for Diana. This was going to put a kink in her plans but she'll figure something out.

        "You know mistletoe is important to druids, but do you know the myth of why people kiss under mistletoe?" Jennifer asks him randomly.

        "No."

        "It's a norse myth." Jennifer explains to him. "Baldur, the son of Odin, was the most beloved by the other gods, so much that they wanted to protect him from all of the dangers in the world. His mother, Frigg, took an oath from fire and water, metal, stone, and every living thing, that they would never hurt Baldur. At a gathering, they tested him. Stones, arrows, and flame were all hurled at him. Nothing worked."

        "But there was one God who wasn't so enamored of Baldur. The God of mischief, Loki. Loki discovered that Frigg had forgotten to ask mistletoe, a tiny, seemingly harmless plant. And completely overlooked. Loki fashioned a dart out of mistletoe, and it killed Baldur." Jennifer continues. "Frigg was heartbroken. She decreed that mistletoe would never again be used as a weapon and that she would place a kiss on anyone who passed under it. So now we hang mistletoe underneath our door during the holidays... so that we will never overlook it again."

        Jennifer's face turns into a cold scowl as her eyes met her reflection.

        "We were the overlooked... the _emissaries_." Jennifer grits out. "It was a mistake Deucalion and the Alphas should never have made, because I made an oath of my own. From virgins and warriors, from healers, philosophers, and guardians, to loan me their power so that I could teach these monsters that their monstrous actions would never be _overlooked_."

        "You killed innocent people." Derek accuses.

        "So have you." Jennifer remarks back. "I know the real color of your eyes, Derek and I know what it means."

        Derek remained quiet at this as he was reminded of unpleasant memories that he had repressed and were recently been brought up.

        "I'm not asking you to save just my life." Jennifer tries to convince him. "I'm asking you to save everyone they'll ever hurt again."

        "You can't beat them." Derek argues.

        "Are you sure about that?" Jennifer asks him with a glint of mischief in her eyes. "Boyd asked you right before he died, what happens to a werewolf during a lunar eclipse? You didn't get the chance to tell him, but you know, don't you? What happens, Derek? During the _total_ lunar eclipse?"

        Derek knew the answer. He's known it the whole time and he hadn't said anything about, not until now.

        "We lose all our power." 

*****

        Scott and his mom, who had been released by Deucalion as a sign of goodwill, were walking down the hall in caution as they searched a way to get to Derek and Jennifer out of the elevator. They were wandering around the halls with apprehension of running into Kali or the conjoined Alphas. Once they heard matching steps around the corner, Scott led the way only to find Allison, Isaac, and a gun-holding Chris. 

        Once united, Scott explained the current predicament that everyone found themselves in. They move out of the hallway and enter a supply room to speak without being caught by any roaming Alphas. 

        "So then they're essentially trapped?" Chris asks Scott about Derek and Jennifer.

        "Yeah, right." Scott tells him.

        "There's no way of getting them out without turning the power back on." Melissa explains to them.

        "But wait, wait, wait, if the power's back on, they're gonna hear the elevator moving, right?" Isaac asks them.

        "And they'll be on Jennifer and Derek as soon as it stops." Scott warns them. "We can't get in a fight with them."

        "You've got us now." Chris states.

        "It's too much to risk." Scott tells him. "They want her dead, and if she dies, there's nothing that we can do for Stiles's dad or Cora."

        "I don't even think I know which teacher this is." Chris comments.

        "She's... she's the one with the brown hair." Isaac motions to his own hair. "She's kind of hot."

        Everyone turns to look at Isaac with a disbelieved look and he shies away from them. 

        "No, it's jus... just an observation," he mutters out.

        Allison looks away from the conversation and stares at her reflection from a nearby mirror. She brushes away the brown hair from her face and pauses.

        "I've got an idea." 

        ************

Diana's POV

        Scott sends out a text explaining that the plan was being set in motion. Everyone took their position and waited for their cue. Peter had finally gained more consciousness and helped Stiles and I in getting Cora ready for the extraction. Once we see Isaac drive up, Stiles quickly pushes the ambulance doors open and Peter helps me carry Cora out. 

        "Alright, come on, come on, come on!" Isaac exclaims as he opens the door for Peter to get Cora in. I was ready to get in with him when I notice Stiles still by the ambulance.

        "Stiles," I call out. "Get in the car!"

        Stiles remains looking over the chart and then he looks over at me. 

        "You're a guardian," Stiles states. 

        "Sure," I answer. "I save your ass all the time and I will do it right now. _Get in the car, Stiles._ "

        "No," Stiles argues. "You're a guardian. _Isaac's_   _guardian._ " 

        "Yeah," I reply. Stiles motions at the chart he was looking at and then points to the name beside it. I freeze as I see this and realize why Stiles' father was taken and the potential candidates for the final sacrifice. "Oh God..." 

        "We have to warn Scott," Stiles tells me. 

        I look over to Isaac who was still waiting for us to get into the car. 

        "We have to go," I tell him as I tug Stiles towards the hospital. Without waiting for a response, Stiles and I begin to sprint towards the halls of the hospital. We see the distant figure of Scott in the hallway looking at the now open elevator. 

        "Scott!" Stiles shouts, but Scott runs out without paying us any mind. "Scott, wait!" 

        We both run down the hallways in an attempt to reach him but he goes up the stairs. I was ready to go after him with Stiles when I see a body in the elevator. I falter in my step when I notice it was a passed out Derek. I look over the elevator and see that the emergency latch on the upper elevator was wide open and Jennifer was long gone.

        "No, no, no..." I mutter as I quickly run into the elevator and check on Derek. "Not you too. Not you too."

        "Diana." 

        I look up to see an apprehensive Stiles looking down at me. His feet were shifting from one to the other and his eyes glanced to the staircase. 

        "Go," I order him before I look down at Derek whose pulse I managed to feel. I sigh in relief and nod towards Stiles to get a move. He sprints away without hesitation and I remain there with Derek.

        "How do we always get to this point?" I whisper nervously as I thought of another to wake him without accidentally making out with him. 

*************

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills Hospital_

        "Mom!" Scott shouts. "Mom!"

        Scott bursts into the roof searching the electric generator in hopes of finding his mother still there. He was out of breath and sighed as he didn't see her around. Tears rose to his eyes and his breaths became shorter and quicker as panic started to settle in. 

        "They're gone." Deucalion states as he makes his appearance to Scott. His cane makes a tapping noise as he slowly makes his way down. "Guardians, Scott. If you were with me, I could've told you what it meant. I could've warned you."

        Scott didn't know how to respond. Part of him knew that there was nothing he could have done and another part of him couldn't help but think that Deucalion might have been right.

        "Let me help you, Scott." Deucalion tells him. "Let's help each other. You help me catch her, and I'll help you get your mother and Stiles' father back."

        Scott still didn't know how to respond but his body seem to know. He starts to take slow steps towards Deucalion knowing he had no other choice. Stiles comes bursting through the door and falters at the sight of Scott making his way towards Deucalion. 

        "Scott." Stiles calls out to him desperately. "Scott, don't do this. Don't go with him."

        "I don't know what else to do." Scott chokes out.

        "No, there's g... Scott, there's got to be something else, okay?" Stiles exclaims. "We always... we always have a plan B."

        "Not this time." Scott says as he looks at Stiles and shakes his head. 

        "Scott." Stiles calls out to him once more.

        "I'm gonna find your dad." Scott assures him. "I promise."

        Scott begins to walk towards Deucalion once more, who had remained silent throughout the conversation. Stiles didn't know what else to do and everything he feared earlier was crashing down on him.

        "Scott!" Stiles shouts once more but the choice was made. Stiles couldn't do anything else but watch his best friend walk away and disappear with the big bad wolf.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**YES I'M BACK! I should be updating weekly now so be on the lookout for that. I can't wait for the next chapters to come!**

**Sincerely, Amanda Preston**


	12. A Step Back

        "No," I shout as I slapped Derek in the face. "Not this again. You and I are not in this same cycle of you being unconscious and me trying to wake you up. I am not going to kiss you this time. I am not..."

        I slapped his face once more and placed my ear onto his chest as I tried to hear his heartbeat. It was barely beating and his lungs were barely lifting up with air.

        "Derek?" I shout one more time. "Derek, come on!"

        Stiles comes running in and looks down at me worriedly. The lack of Scott's presence made me feel more defeated than I already was. I took a deep breath and shook my hand out, extended my claws in  the process. I raise my hand and swing it down but it's quickly caught in the air. I look down and find Derek's eyes looking into mine. He looks in between my claws and then myself before looking through the rest of the elevator. 

        "Where is she?"  

        "Jennifer?" Stiles asks him. "Gone with Scott's mom."

        "She took her?" Derek asks a little bit disoriented. 

        "Yeah, and if that's not enough of a kick to the balls, Scott left with Deucalion, okay?" Stiles exclaims.

        "We have to get you out of here." I tell Derek as I help him stand up. "The police are coming right now, and we all have to get the hell out of here."

        "What about Cora?" Derek asks as he slightly leans against me before forcing himself to stand on his own. 

        "Isaac has her in the car," I tell him. "They're waiting for us." 

****

        Derek quickly pulls up to the parking lot and makes a very harsh stop. We both immediately get out of the car and meet with the rest of the group. Isaac, Allison, and Chris look up to me as Derek takes Cora out of the Argent's car. 

        "Where's Scott and Stiles?" Allison asks me.

        "Stiles is still at the hospital. He's gonna hold off the cops for us." I tell her as I help Derek put Cora in the backseat of his car.

        "We have to go right now." Derek tells all of us. 

        "What about Scott and Melissa?"

        "Jennifer took Melissa." Derek tells them.

        "What about Scott?" Allison asks and Derek remained silent. She then turns to look at me and I knew I couldn't look away. "Diana, where's Scott?"

        "Deucalion," I sigh out. "He's with Deucalion." 

        Allison remained silent at this and I knew she didn't fully believe me. Isaac places an arm around her and she seems to start to let the truth settle in. I look in between them, Isaac's hand on her shoulder, and decide to ignore it. I glance over at Derek who was practically itching to get into the car and drive away with Cora. 

        "I'm going to go talk to him," I say quietly. I could see the flash of concern pass through Chris' eyes and I refused to meet Derek's gaze. "I need to try to convince him." 

        "Scott?" Isaac asks confused. 

        "No," I say as I start to walk out of there. "I'm going to go talk to Deucalion."

        "Diana, you can't just give up. He'll make you join the pack!" Isaac shouts as he pulls me back. "Derek, say something." 

        Derek had his usual deep set scowl, "We're wasting time..." 

        I pulled my arm out of Isaac's hold, "I have to do something. I have to try."

****

        [I sit on the bar counter spinning the straw around my glass of ice water.](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=222041591) The ice clinked around the glass and I could tell that the bartender was eyeing me curiously. I looked away from his gaze and focused my hearing on the clicking of a cane nearby. I didn't bother to look up at Deucalion as he took his seat next to me. 

        "A glass of water for me, as well," Deucalion orders as he sets his cane on the counter. The glass is set in front of him and the bartender leaves again with one more glance at my direction. "He was checking you out." 

        "He has eyes and can see," I answer as I take a drink. "It makes sense." 

        "Are you insulting my blindness now?" Deucalion asks with a smirk. "Has it come to that now?" 

        "You took Scott," I tell him. "I'm no longer holding back my punches." 

        Deucalion turns away from me, "That didn't hurt much." 

        "Oh just wait for it," I warn him. "I'll hurt you soon enough." 

        "Is this a threat?" Deucalion asks amused. 

        "Yes, it is." I answer. "Before this gets messy, I suggest you let Scott go." 

        "And what?" Deucalion asks me. "You'll join my pack instead? A trade?" 

        "No," I answer. "Just let Scott go, as a sign of peaceful amnesty, and leave." 

        Deucalion begins to laugh at this, "You really think I'm going to do that?" 

        "I used to be an optimist," I answer solemnly. 

        "And this is you believing I'll make the good choice?" 

        "No," I tell him. "I  _used_ to be an optimist. Now I'm a realist. I know you're going to say no." 

        "Then why even ask the question?" Deucalion asks. 

        "So you know I gave you an out," I say as I sit up. "Let Scott go, call off your dogs, and leave town." 

        "What about Jennifer?" 

        "You deal with her," I tell him. "She's your problem, not mine." 

        "You want to tear her throat out for what she did to Derek," Deucalion says as he leans towards me. "Hence, she is your problem too." 

        "I'm not a murderer," I state. 

        "The color of your eyes tell me otherwise," Deucalion remarks. 

        I remain silent at this and sigh, "You don't know the whole story." 

        "But I do," Deucalion answers. "The girls they took... they looked just like you, didn't they?" 

        I slam my fist on the counter and Deucalion leans back. 

        "Let Scott go," I grit out. 

        "Join the pack." 

        "No." 

        "Then there's my answer too," Deucalion states as he tips the bartender and stands up. "I must go. I'm missing the pack's team building exercise." 

        "Let me guess," I whisper. "You're hunting down Bambi's mother and killing her yourself?" 

        "No, we're not." Deucalion answers with a slight tilt of his lips. "We're going after Bambi herself..."

        "Herself?" I ask concerned. "Please don't tell me..." 

        "Morell," Deucalion tells me as he starts to leave. "Rumor is she's been playing as a double agent... but you already knew that." He offers me a small wave as his cane tapped away. 

**************

Third POV,  _Derek's Loft_

        The loft was completely silent as Derek remained seated beside his sister. Her gasps of air were the only thing that could be heard around the room. Peter and Isaac watched it all. Isaac had been pacing the whole time as he worried over Diana and Scott and Cora. 

        "She's dying, isn't she?" Isaac asks her.

        "I don't know." Derek answers solemnly. 

        "So what are you gonna do?" Isaac asks him.

        "I don't know."

        "Want to figure something out?" Isaac asks annoyed. "Because while Scott and Stiles were out there trying to help people from being killed, you were in here, rolling around the sheets with the actual killer. Do you get how many people she's killed? Erica and Boyd are dead, Diana almost died and probably is now going against Deucalion, Cora is dying, and you are doing nothing!" Isaac shouts. "Why'd you do this to us, Derek? Was it all about the power? Were you bored? Were you lonely?"

        "Maybe." Derek chokes out. "I told Cora I wouldn't leave. I'll help the others when I figure out how to help her."

        "There's no time!" Isaac shouts.

        Before the argument could escalate further, the apartment door slides open and Diana walks in. Both men turn to look at her and Peter just sits up waiting to hear her news. It didn't look good as she walked in with a slight shake in her hands and a strained look in her eyes. 

        "I tried to convince him, but he wouldn't listen." Diana tells them. "He's going after... I tried to put an end to this but it didn't work. He's moving forward with whatever plan he has now." 

        Isaac looks away from Diana and looks over at Derek who hadn't bothered to turn around. 

        "The full moon's coming." Isaac tells them. "The Sheriff and Melissa are gonna be dead, so I'm gonna try and help them. You can sit here and perfect the art of doing _nothing_."

        Isaac walks past her and towards the door. Diana grabs his hand with a tight grip, her eyes pleading, "Please, don't." 

        "This whole time you've been blinded with what _he_ needs," Isaac tells her. "Not what  _we_ need. You're trying to fix things too late. I'm sorry, Diana." 

        His hands slip away from hers and Isaac leaves, slamming the door behind him. 

        "I wouldn't take it personally." Peter's voice rings out above them as he makes his way down the stairs. "Anger is just a tool. He's using it to excuse shifting allegiance from one Alpha to another. From you two to Scott."

        "Scott's not an Alpha yet." Derek comments.

        "But he's well on his way, isn't he?" Peter states. 

_Argent Penthouse_

        Chris pushes the door open and Allison and Stiles file in. Stiles had spoken to the officers and had come across a very alarming clue. 

        "The word is _guardian_ , Allison." Chris tells her as he tries to settle her nerves. "More than anyone, you know that's a role I haven't exactly lived up to lately."

        "But she took Scott's mother and Stiles' father." Allison exclaims as they all make their way into Chris' office. "That's not a coincidence."

        "Yeah, I'd also consider the fact that someone put your name up in large block letters on the elevator doors." Stiles remarks. "That kind of felt like a warning to me."

        "I think it might be Morrell." Allison continues. "She knows a lot more than she lets on, and she might even be trying to help us."

        "Well, she needs to get on that a lot faster, okay?" Stiles sighs out defeated as he drops into the chair. "Seeing as how the lunar eclipse is less than two freaking nights away."

        "Stiles, don't give up hope." Chris tells him.

        "They could already be dead," Stiles whispers. 

        "I don't think so." Chris states. "There's something about Jennifer's tactics. It's like she's still positioning, still moving pieces into place. "

        "And you're one of them." Allison warns him.

        "Then let's not wait around to see the next move." Chris says as he makes up his mind. He pulls out Danny's map and lays it out on his desk. "Everything she's done has been on a telluric current, so Melissa and the Sheriff have to be somewhere on one of those currents, right?" Allison nods at this and Chris looks towards Stiles. "If we're gonna find them, we need your help."

        "You seriously want to go after her?" Stiles asks him. "I mean, what if she just takes you like the others, huh? No offense, but what's the difference between you and them?"

        "I'm carrying a .45." Chris answers as he loads his gun. "Maybe she can heal from a shot to the leg and a few slashes to the face, but personally, I'd like to see how she holds up with half her skull blown off." Stiles leans back into his seat and sighs. "We've got one priority right now, and that is to find Melissa and your dad. We've got a map and every clue we need to figure this out. The only thing we don't have is time, which is why I need both of you."

        "Where do we start?" Stiles sighs out

        "The place where the sacrifices have been committed have usually been different from where the bodies have been found." Chris explains it to him. "I think the placement has to do with the strength of the current, so there's the school, the animal clinic, the bank."

        "Wait a sec," Stiles interrupts him. "She wouldn't use the same place twice, would she?"

        "Only if she didn't succeed the first time." Chris states as he points at the bank vault.

        "Scott's boss." Allison tells them.

        "Deaton," Chris agrees. "It was her only failure. That could mean something."

        "That's just one place so far." Stiles states. "We're gonna need a lot more help."

        "What about Lydia?" Allison suggests.

        "Lydia?" Chris asks confused. "What can she do?"

        "Uh, Lydia's got sort of a talent." Stiles tries to explain. "She somehow ended up finding a couple of the bodies, um, without actually looking for them."

        "What is she?" Chris still asks. "Psychic?"

        "She's something." Stiles mutters. 

**************

Diana's POV,  _Derek's Loft_

Cora gasps and her chest rises slightly. Derek continues to grip Cora's hand and dark veins rose up his arms. Peter and I watched cautiously as Derek had been doing this longer than one should do it. I could see the deep strain he was in as he forced himself past his pain tolerance limit. 

        "Careful," Peter warns him as Derek panted heavily before letting Cora's hand go. 

        I place a hand on Derek's shoulder and make him lean back into his seat. 

        "Let me take a turn," I tell him. "You look like you're about to die." 

        "Don't worry." Derek gasps out. "I know going too far could kill me."

        "That's not exactly what I meant." Peter quips as he walked across the room. Derek and I both look up at him as we took notice of his  _ever-knowing_ tone. "I've heard it's something only an Alpha can do, and with good reason."

        "Which is?" Derek asks him.

        "You know normal wolves never abandon an injured member of the pack. They care for it." Peter explains to us. "They bring it food from a kill and then regurgitate it into the mouth of the injured wolf. They even give it physical and emotional comfort by intensely grooming it. In a way, they can do more than just ease pain. They can be instrumental in healing their own."

        "It's true," I whisper. "I should know more than anyone since I am a wolf." 

        "If you're trying to tell me I can save her, just tell me." Derek exclaims.

        "I'm telling you... I've heard it's possible." Peter draws out. 

        "How?" I ask him. 

        "It's that spark of power that makes both of you an Alpha." Peter tells us. "When you take her pain, she draws on the power that provides you with those special gifts. The power that heightens your senses, your strength. The power that transforms your body. As an Alpha, you have that bit of extra, that spark intensifies the color of your eyes from a bright yellow into a searing red."

        "If I can save her..." Derek starts to say.

        " _If."_ Peter points out. " _If_. I didn't say it works every time. It could just as easily kill you."

        "How do I do it?" I ask Peter.

        "You?" Derek asks. "No, you're not doing this. She's my sister." 

        "That's the perfect reason as to why I should be the one doing this," I tell him. "You're her brother, Derek. If you die, she'll have no one left." 

        "I can't let you do this," Derek states. 

        "And I'm not going to stand by and let you do this," I retort. 

        "How about you two do it?" Peter offers up.

        "Is that possible?" I ask him 

        "I don't see why not," Peter answers. "Reduces the risk of one of you dying." 

        "So how do we do this?" Derek asks, quickly agreeing to this new plan. "By taking her pain?"

        "And then some." Peter explains. "Because there's a cost." 

        Derek moves to grab Cora's hand but I stop him from doing so, "You need to rest if we're going to do this. You don't look too well."' 

        "I have to..." 

        "It's my turn. I'll do it," I tell him. "Go on and get some sleep. You'll need all your strength for this." 

        Derek hesitantly nods at this and makes his way upstairs to rest. I take Cora's hand and felt the slight discomfort of taking her pain away. I take as much as I could, feeling her breathing become more normalized before it drops again. I let go of her hand and take a deep breath. 

        "There's still a chance this could kill you, you know?" 

        I look over at Peter who just took over Derek's seat. His focus was on me instead of his niece. 

        "Either this kills you or Jennifer does," Peter continues to say. 

        "What are you talking about now?" I sigh out annoyed by his sole presence immediately.

        "You're Isaac's guardian, right?" Peter asks me in which I nod. "So technically you could be taken and seeing your past romantic history with Derek, Jennifer has something against you." 

        "I'm not going to be taken," I tell Peter. 

        "And how do you know that?" Peter asks amused. 

         " _Warriors._ I am a trained hunter. I know my way around guns, knives, swords... any weapon, I'm trained in.  _Healers._ I studied sport medicine and I worked as a nurse for my first year here.  _Philosophers._ I trained the pack and others how to defend themselves. I'm also the coach of the cross country team. And now I'm a  _Guardian_." 

        "So you're saying..." 

        "I'm saying Jennifer had many chances to abduct me and she didn't," I state. 

        "And you think this time is different?" 

        "She knows I'm too much for her to handle," I tell him. "If she's been sacrificing people to gain these qualities they have and I fit most of those categories, she knows I have some power of my own." 

        I look away from Peter and take up Cora's hand once more, "Besides, if Deucalion doesn't kill her first, my grandmother certainly will." 

************

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills First National Bank_

        "It's empty." Allison states as she steps into the vault. Isaac, who had joined them later, trailed behind her and looked around for anything. 

        "Be careful anyway." Chris states as he flicks open his electric baton. The electricity lights the place and it crackles loudly. Isaac looked down at it in concern. 

        "I thought you only used those on werewolves."

        Chris faltered in his step and stared straight ahead, "I do."

        It all became sudden, Chris turned around and pressed the electric baton into Isaac's abdomen. Isaac is quickly immobilized in seconds. Allison immediately turns around in shock and Chris handcuffs her hand into the nearby rail. "What the hell are you doing?"

        "I'm sorry." Chris apologizes to her as he pulls out every weapon he had and disarmed them. "But you're just gonna have to trust me on this." Chris walks out into the center of the vault and drops his gun. "I knew for a long time she didn't just operate on the currents. She was in sync with them."

        It didn't take long to see a shadow approaching and Jennifer stepped in. Her smile was hungry and unnerving. 

        "Now this is a sacrifice." 

        The room slowly became dark and the next time Allison opened her eyes, Jennifer and her dad were gone. 

_Martin Residence_

        Stiles had gone to Lydia's house to fill her in on the previous night's events and the situation at hand. His eyes landed on the slight scar around her neck where Jennifer had tried to choke her. He looks away and continues to explain everything. 

        "I don't believe it." Lydia states with a shake of her head. "Scott can't really be with them. He can't be."

        "You didn't see the look on his face, though." Stiles tells her. "It was..."  

        Stiles couldn't even put it to words and Lydia sighed at this, "Then what can I do? I mean, I get that I'm some kind of, like, human geiger counter for death, but... I don't know how to turn it on and off yet. All I know is that she tried to kill me because of..."

        "Because of what?" Stiles asks her. Lydia doesn't answer and her mind seemed to be in another place. "Hey, Lydia, what?"

        "When she called me a banshee, she was surprised by it." Lydia tells him. "What if that's not why she tried to kill me?"

        "Then why did she?" Stiles asks. 

        "That's what we need to find out."

****************

Diana's POV,  _Derek's Loft_

        Derek passed me a glass of water and stood beside me as he watched over Cora. She seemed better than before but had yet to be conscious. I was a bit tired after taking Cora's pain away but Derek was well rested and I knew it was time to do this. We had no more time to waste. 

        "I can understand not seeing a downside to this, as neither of you haven't exactly been Alpha of the year, but think about what else you'd be losing." Peter comments as he tries to block Derek from reaching for Cora's hand.

        "I don't care about power," Derek states. "Not anymore."

        "What about the power to fight back?" Peter asks him. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but Kali's ultimatum still stands. The full moon is tomorrow night, and if you couldn't beat her as an Alpha, how do you think you're gonna fare as a beta?"

        "I don't care." Derek answers.

        Peter then turns to me in some sort of last ditch effort. 

        "What if this was exactly what Jennifer was hoping for?" Peter asks me. "She would know the only way for either of you to save Cora would be giving up your power. Maybe that's what she was gonna have Derek do at the hospital. So that Derek wouldn't be able to face the Alphas without her. She wants him to come to her. It's all part of her little seduction, and she is still seducing him." 

        "What do you want me to do, Peter?" I ask him. "Should we just let Cora die? Is that the solution here?" 

        Peter became silent at this. 

        "It's gotta be now." Derek stats. "We don't have a choice."

        "You always have a choice." Peter remarks. "It's whether or not you can live with the consequences, Derek facing Kali as a beta..." Peter looks over at me once more. "...the color behind the red Alpha eyes of yours."

        I take a deep breath as I wrapped my head around what Peter said. He was right. I hadn't thought about it until now, but he was right. 

        "From the first day I was a werewolf my eyes have been red," I whisper as Derek turns to look at me. "I never thought that my eyes would ever change from that red, but here we are." I take a deep breath and try to collect my thoughts. "I have never taken an innocent life. The small piece of hope that is still in me, the past optimist, believes that my eyes could be a bright amber, but then I remember... I did take a life once. It wasn't innocent blood, but it was a life and perhaps my negligence to do anything when innocent lives were being taken, burned... will cause my eyes to reveal a clear blue." 

        Besides Cora's shallow breaths, the room was completely silent. Peter and Derek just stared at me and I momentarily closed my eyes, took a breath, and let it out. I open my eyes once more and offered each of them a small smile. 

        "It's not just a full moon coming tomorrow night." I tell them. "It's a lunar eclipse. We'll all be powerless. So what does it matter if my eyes are red, blue, or amber? What does it matter that Kali will pick a fight with Derek?" I ask. "We only have a small window to save Cora and I chose to do it now no matter the consequences it will bring." 

        I reach over the bed and grab Cora's hand into mine. 

        "You're making a big mistake," Peter states. 

        "No," I tell him. "For the first time in my life, I'm making the right choice." 

        I grit my teeth as dark veins appeared raising up my arm. I feel my she-wolf push against me, supporting me in any way she can. I could feel my eyes glow red and I felt that flicker of power slowly fade away.

        From the corner of my eyes I see Derek reach over to Cora's other hand and he starts to take her pain away too. I could see him struggling as well and through it all, he slowly slides his free hand over to me. I start to gasp for air and my hand latches onto his desperately. His hand grips mine tightly and I feel the transfer of pain and relief go throughout me.

        Cora's breathing becomes stronger and I could see her eyes flutter open. Her hand felt warm against mine and I could feel her heart beat strongly once more. 

        I close my eyes as I gave everything I had inside me away. A howl escapes my throat, another one joins it, and before I know it, darkness envelops me into a soft embrace. 

**************

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills High School_

        After a while of brainstorming, Stiles and Lydia headed to the school for answers. After hearing of the kidnapping of Chris Argent and Stiles' mild panic attack, they both realised there was only one person who could help them right now. They both walked through the crowded hallways headed to Morell's office only to find it empty with the exception of one student. 

        "Are you here for Ms. Morrell?" Stiles asks her.

        "No, I thought this was gym class," she sarcastically answers. 

        "Sweetheart, we're not in the mood for funny." Lydia snarks. "Do you know where she is?"

        "If I did, I wouldn't be waiting here for 20 minutes." She answers. "So how about you two back out the door and wait your turn?"

        "We're not here for a session." Lydia tells her.

        "Well, I am." she states. "And I've got some serious issues to work on."

        "Hey, wait, wait." Stiles says as he recognized her. "You're Danielle. You're Heather's best friend."

        "I _was_ Heather's best friend." Danielle corrects. "We've been working on that issue three times a week."

        "Hold on," Lydia backs up. "Did you say Ms. Morrell's 20 minutes late?"

        "And I don't know why either." Danielle tells them. "She's always on time."

        "I was seeing her at the beginning of the semester." Lydia states. "She was never late."

        "Then she's not late. She's missing." Stiles concludes.

        "What if we're not the only ones who think she knows something?" Lydia asks.

        "Then I want to know what she knows." Stiles states as he moves over to Ms. Morell's desk and starts to look through her drawers. 

        "What are you doing?" Danielle exclaims. 

        "Trying to find her." Stiles answers.

        "Those files are private."

        "Yeah, she's kind of right." Lydia agrees. 

        "That one's yours," Stiles tells her as he offers it. Lydia immediately reaches for it and begins to leaf through it. Stiles was still going through her files before he caught sight of something in Lydia's file. "Wait, Lydia, that's your drawing."

        Lydia looks down at it and nods, "Yeah, I know. It's a tree."

        "Yeah, good too." Danielle comments over her shoulder.

        "Thank you," Lydia says with a small smile.

        "No," Stiles exclaims as he continues to flip over the papers. "But that's the same one, though."

        "Same as what?" Lydia asks confused.

        "The same one I always see you drawing in class." Stiles states. "It's the exact same one. Don't you see?"

        Lydia still doesn't get it and Stiles moves to grab her bag. He pulls out one of her notebooks and flips through it finding the examples that he needed. 

        "There, see?" Stiles asks her as he shows her the multiple pages of the same drawn tree. Lydia starts to slightly panic as she realizes that her notebook was filled with the same exact drawings. 

        "Okay, you can have my session." Danielle says as she grabs her bag and turns to leave. "You got bigger issues."

        "What is this?" Lydia gasps out.

        Stiles stops flipping through the pages and slowly flips the notebook upside down. The tree then reveals itself to be a stump of one with various roots reaching throughout the page. 

        "I know where they are." Stiles states. 

        Stiles and Lydia quickly pack up and start to leave the office behind. 

        "It's the Nemeton." Stiles explains to Lydia as they walk through the hallway. "That's where she's keeping them. It has to be..."

        "Stilinski."

        Stiles groans as he looks up and finds the FBI agent from before approaching him. 

        "Agh." Stiles mutters as he turns to Lydia quickly. "All right, look, go to Derek, okay? He and Peter, they've been there before, so they'll know where it is. Tell them it's the root cellar, all right? They'll know."

        Lydia nods at this and heads towards another exit. Stiles turns back and finds the agent waiting for him already. He sighs once more and scowls up at him.

        "Did you know your dad's car is in the school parking lot and has been since last night?"

        "No." Stiles lies. "What does that mean?"

        "It means he's officially missing." He states. Stiles remains silent and looks away from him. "Stiles, why am I getting the feeling you know something that could help us find your dad?"

        "If I did, why would I not tell you?" Stiles asks him.

        "If it meant helping your dad, why wouldn't you?" the agent retorts. 

        "So you're asking me to tell you what I wouldn't not tell you?" Stiles confusingly asks.

        "First, I have no idea what you just said." The agent states, "Second, how about you just help me help you?"

        "Well, I don't know how to help you help me tell you something that would help you if I don't know it." Stiles answers.

        The FBI agent just sighs and rubs his eyes tiredly, "Are you doing this on purpose?"

        "I don't know anything, okay?" Stiles exclaims annoyed. "Can I just go?"

        "Where are your other friends?"

        "You mean Scott?" Stiles asks with a narrowed gaze. 

         "I mean Scott." he says as he looks down at his notepad. "I mean Isaac Lahey, Allison Argent, these twins Ethan and Aiden. There's even a coach here who is coincidentally Isaac's legal guardian too who's been absent lately, a Diana Cruz.  I've been told your whole little clique didn't show up at school today."

        "I don't have a clique." Stiles tells him.

        "Stiles, come on." The agent sighs out. "There's been a pretty disturbing amount of violent activity in this county in the last few months, several murders tied to this school. I don't know what's going on here, but it's serious." Stiles still wasn't looking at him. "And... hey. Your dad is missing." Stiles still remains silent and the agent just sighs again. "Fine. But I don't want you going home alone. You have someone you can stay with tonight?"

        Stiles didn't know what to answer, but luckily someone did. 

        "He's with me." Deaton says. 

_Derek's Loft_

        Lydia knocked on the door and waited for a response. She was almost ready to leave as she hadn't heard anything come from inside, but she soon heard the footsteps coming and the door slide open.

        "You." Lydia mutters as she finds herself face to face with Peter.

        "Me." Peter replies with a concerned expression. 

        "You." Lydia repeats with a narrowed glare remembering how Peter had ruined her life twice. Once with the bite and the second with the manipulation to bring him back to life. 

        "Me," Peter sighs out as he steps aside to let Lydia in. He looks over to the bed and finds the healing process still in progress. "You've come at a strange time." 

        Lydia looks at where Peter was focusing on and gasps at the sight. Diana, Derek, and Cora were in a triangle of limbs that were covered in dark veins. 

        "What is going on?" Lydia asks as she steps in and sets her bag down. "Are they ok?" 

        "I don't know," Peter answers. "They're trying to save Cora, but I don't know if it's working." 

        Lydia walks around the scene and finds Diana slightly shaking in both of her grasps. Derek looked about the same but paler while Cora looked better than the both of them combined. 

        "Why are you here?" Peter asks Lydia, breaking her out of her haze. 

        "Stiles sent me," Lydia stutters out as she looks at him. "He knows where Jennifer is keeping his dad. He called it the Nemeton and he said you and Derek would know where to find it." 

        "Yeah... no." Peter answers. 

        "What?" Lydia asks. 

        "We don't know where it is." Peter tells her. 

        "You don't know where it is?!" Lydia exclaims. "But Stiles said you'd been there."

        "We have," Peter answers. "But after a few memorable experiences there, Talia, Derek's mother and my older sister, decided that she didn't ever want us going back. She knew how dangerous it was and took the memory of its location from us."

        "But then how are we supposed to find it?" Lydia sighs out in which Peter just shrugs. Lydia grabs her bag, ready to leave, when a gasp caught her attention. Lydia and Peter turn to find Diana groaning and her eyes fluttering open. Her hands were no longer on Cora or Derek and the same applied to him as well. All healing had stopped, and all they could do now was wait to see if either of them had survived. Diana moans, and her eyes flutter open.

_Beacon Hills National Park_

        Like a pack of wolves, they ran through the forest with a united force. The hunt was on their mind and there was no obstacle that couldn't be overcome in their task. The wolf inside them were driving them to run, to track, to crave blood for the prey they were hunting. The prey herself was running and hiding as best as she could. She could hear the unity of howls and knew she was running out of time. 

        Scott remained close to Deucalion as they made their way through the forest. The howls commenced again once the location was found. Scott helped Deucalion walk through the uneven forest ground and found him stopping as his eyes caught something. Scott looked over at his line of sight and found the source of his focus. 

        "It's a firefly." Scott tells him.

        "Unusual for this region." Deucalion comments.

        "It's because of Jennifer, isn't it?" Scott asks him. "Just before all this started, a deer crashed into Lydia's car. The cats went crazy at the animal clinic. Birds flew into the high school. That was all her."

        Deucalion slowly nods at this, "They say animals can sense natural disasters when they're about to happen. Maybe they can sense supernatural ones as well." 

        "Does she scare you?" Scott asks him.

        "She concerns me if she's willing to kill that many innocent people for her cause," Deucalion answers. "People like your mother and Stiles' father."

        "Are you willing to kill innocent people?"

        "I'll kill any living thing that gets in my way." Deucalion grits out as he raises his hand, and even though the answer was not the one Scott wanted to believe in,  Scott offers his arm for Deucalion to take.

        They follow the howling of the rest of the pack and find themselves in a clearing. Ms. Morell was in the center, protected by a ring of mountain ash. As long as she stayed inside, she was safe. 

        "How did you know, Marin, that we'd come for you?" Deucalion asks her.

        "Because Jennifer and I are the same." Marin answers. "And I know you've always been suspicious of us, of what we can do."

        "With good reason." Kali grits out. "We know you've been conspiring with your brother. We know you've been helping Diana."

        "I am doing what has to be done... maintain balance." Marin exclaims.

        "What do you know about Jennifer?" Deucalion asks her.

        "Nothing more than you know," she responds. Marin then looks over at Scott with a disappointed expression. "This isn't you, Scott. Go back to your friends."

        "He can decide what's right for himself." Deucalion intercepts. 

        "Not without all the information." Marin remarks. "Have you told him everything you've done? How you've piled up bodies in a narcissistically psychotic effort to form your perfect pack? Bodies that include Ennis, by the way." Marin tells them as she looks at Kali. "My brother saved him. He was alive when Deucalion went in to see him. He wants you to go after Derek, Kali, to force his decision. If Derek joins the pack, it paves the way for Diana and Scott."

        "The lies people will tell when they're begging for their life." Deucalion sighs out.

        Scott looks in between them with concern. 

        "Ask him." Marin states.

        Before anything could be said, Deucalion uncaps the dagger in his cane and throws it at the druid. Marin's hand falls onto her shoulder, her foot steps out of the border and the other scrapes off the mountain ash, breaking the circle. Her body falls to the ground and the Alphas were ready to pounce on her if it wasn't for Scott who reached her first. 

        "Back off." Scott tells the Alphas. He looks down at Marin who is grimacing in pain. "I'm not going to let them kill you. But if you know something, if you know where they are..."

        "...the Nemeton... you find that, you'll find Jennifer." Marin gasps out. "Find the Nemeton." 

****

_Animal Clinic_

        "It has to be on a telluric current, or maybe even at the axis of two or where they all intersect." Stiles tells all of them. "I just know it's where Derek took Paige to die."

        "My dad and Gerard were there once." Allison pipes in. "But Gerard said it was years ago, and he couldn't remember where it was. And my dad... obviously isn't here to tell us now."

        "Yeah, mine either." Stiles sighs out. 

        "Then how do we find this place?" Isaac asks. 

        "There might be a way." Deaton tells them, "But it's dangerous and we're gonna need Scott." 

        Stiles quickly called Scott and by chance he answers. With a large explanation and the urgency of the matter, Scott hesitantly left the Alpha pack and made his way to the animal clinic. Deaton and Stiles met him at the front office to explain the plan solely. 

        "How'd you guys find out?" Scott asked, not sure how they figured it out. 

        "Lydia." Stiles answers. "You?" 

        "Morrell." Scott replies. "None of the other Alphas know where it is either."

        "So if this works, are you gonna tell them?" Stiles asks him.

        "I can't stop Jennifer without them." Scott tells him.

        "How about we concentrate on finding your parents first?" Deaton steps in.

        "What's the plan?" Scott asks.

        "Essentially, you, Allison, and Stiles need to be surrogate sacrifices for your parents." Deaton explains.

        "We die for them?" Scott asks concerned. 

        "But he can bring us back." Stiles assures him, before hesitantly looking over at Deaton. "You can... you can bring us back, right?"

        "You remember the part where I said it was dangerous?" Deaton asks in which Stiles nods. "If it goes right, the three of you will be dead for a few seconds... but there's something else you need to think about." Deaton looks over at Scott, knowing it was his decision that mattered. "This is a dangerous thing for more reasons than one. You'll be giving power back to the Nemeton, a place that hasn't had power for a long time. This kind of power is like a magnet. It attracts the supernatural, the kind of things that a family like the Argents can fill the pages of a bestiary with. It will draw them here, like a beacon."

        "Doesn't sound any worse than anything we've already seen." Stiles remarks.

        "You'd be surprised at what you have yet to see." Deaton warns them.

        "Is that it?" Scott asks.

        "No," Deaton answers. "It'll also have an effect on the three of you. You won't be able to see it, but you'll feel it every day for the rest of your lives. It'll be a kind of a darkness around your heart, and permanent, like a scar."

        "Like a tattoo," Scott comments in which Deaton nods. Knowing the consequences, and the urgent deadline, Scott agreed to the plan. 

        Deaton leads them to the back where Allison and Isaac had started to set up. Three tubs filled with water were centered in the room. Bags of ice were poured into each one and mistletoe was sprinkled around each tub. Deaton nodded at the set-up and looked over at the three. 

        "Where's Lydia?" Deaton asks. "I thought she was on her way." 

        "I sent her to Derek's loft but she texted me she was on her way back," Stiles answers. "Uh something must have sidetracked her." 

        Deaton looked concerned at this and turned to Isaac. 

        "Have you heard from Diana?" 

        Isaac shakes his head and Deaton sighs. 

        "What?" Stiles asks worriedly. "What's wrong?" 

        "We need one of them here," Deaton answers.

        Stiles was about to ask why before the door slams open. Lydia walks in with Diana's arm slung over her shoulder. 

        "Well lucky you, you got the both of us now." Diana whispers. Deaton looked at her appearance and noticed the tired expression on her face. 

        "Something's different about you," Deaton comments. 

        "I'll explain later," Diana answers as she pulls away from Lydia and stands on her own. "Lydia told me some things,  _concerning_ things, and I need to know if you all have gone through your damn minds!" 

        "We're doing what needs to be done," Scott states. "We need to find our parents." 

        "And there is no other way?" Diana asks. 

        "If there was we wouldn't be doing this," Stiles tells her. 

        Diana sighs and leans against the nearby counter. She looked incredibly drained and the more Scott looked at her, the more he noticed that something was indeed off with her. 

        "Deaton's right," Scott states. "Something's different about you." 

        "It's nothing big," Diana answers as she rubbed her eyes. Lydia stared at her, knowing what had occurred minutes ago, but luckily kept her mouth shut about it. 

        "All right," Deaton says as he tries to change the course of the conversation. He had a feeling he knew what Diana did, but he would have to wait until they were alone to ask. Deaton turns to Scott, Stiles, and Allison. "What did you bring?"

        "Um, I got my dad's badge." Stiles answers as he lifts up the bent metal. "Jennifer kind of crushed it in her hand, so I tried hammering it out a bit. Still doesn't look great."

        "Well, it doesn't need to look good if it has meaning." Deaton tells him.

        Isaac looked over at Allison who held a bullet tightly into her hand. "Is that an actual silver bullet?"

        "My dad made it," Allison answers. "It's kind of a ceremonial thing. When one of us finishes learning all the skills to be a hunter, we forge a silver bullet as a testament to the code."

        "Scott?" Deaton asks. 

        "My dad got my mom this watch when she first got hired at the hospital." Scott explains. "She used to say it was the only thing in their marriage that ever worked."

        Deaton nods at this and motions them to the tub.

        "Okay, the three of you will get in." Deaton tells them. "One of us will hold you down until you're essentially... well, dead. But it's not just someone to hold you under. It needs to be someone who can pull you back, someone that has a strong connection to you, a kind of emotional tether."

        Lydia begins to move to stand by Allison but Deaton stops her. "Lydia... You go with Stiles."

        "Are you sure?" Allison asks. "I mean, Scott and I both have to go under."

        Deaton sighs and looks over at Isaac. The meaning becomes clear and Diana just scoffs while Scott looks away.

        "Are you serious, Isaac?" Diana mutters.

        "It's okay," Scott states as he looked in between Isaac and Allison. "I guess that means you're stuck with me." 

        "What?" Diana asks confused. "You want me to hold you down?" 

        "You're my Alpha," Scott answers causing Diana to look away. "And more importantly you're my friend. You helped me since day one." 

        Diana could only nod and moved to stand by him. Slowly, each of them stepped into the tub and submerged themselves. They shivered at the ice and held their symbolic objects tightly in their hands. 

        "By the way," Stiles stutters out. "If I don't make it back and you do, you should probably know something. Your dad's in town." 

        Scott looks away and starts to shiver once more. Diana grips his shoulders and gives him an encouraging squeeze. She looks over at Stiles who was looking up at her with worry. She smiled at him and Stiles saw her mask fade away. Her face showing fear and worry and nervousness. Something was different about her and as much as he wanted to find out, he couldn't. All of them were pushed down into the water and held there... waiting.


	13. Eclipse of the Heart

        [Deaton made me move into his office for privacy.](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=222724398) He shut the door behind him and motioned for me to take a seat. I reluctantly do so and could see his eyes searching me for something. I avoid staring into his eyes and that seemed to be the confirmation that he needed. 

        "What did you do?" Deaton asks me. 

        I looked down at my hands, "I saved Cora." 

        "And you sacrificed you power because of it," Deaton states. "Do you know how dangerous that is? You could have died!" 

        "There was less of a chance of that happening," I explained. "Derek and I both did it." 

        "And how is he?" Deaton asks me. 

        "I don't know," I sigh out. "Once I was awake, I hightailed it out of there. I didn't want to risk... I didn't want them to know..." 

        "The color of your eyes," Deaton concludes as he leans back. 

        I nod at this, "I know it's stupid. I just... I don't even know what color they are and having an audience for that wasn't appealing." I rub my face tiredly and sigh. "It's not like it matters though. I'm sure Lydia and Peter already know. They must have seen it when I woke up." 

        "And you haven't asked them?" Deaton asks confused. 

        "I know they're blue," I answer. "I don't know why I would bother to think that they could be yellow. I've done terrible things in my life, things I'm not proud of." 

        "It's getting tiresome to remind you of this, Diana, but you weren't to blame for the Hale fire and the lifestyle you chose to live after that," Deaton tells me. 

        I refused to acknowledge this and looked away from him. 

        "And how is she?" Deaton prompts instead. "Your other half?" 

        I slowly turn to look at him with a worried expression. "It's too quiet. It's like she's not even there anymore."         

        "Maybe she's exhausted," Deaton advises. "What you put her through must have taken everything out of her." 

        "Or it could have just killed her," I answer as I tried to search for my inner wolf. "But I knew the sacrifice I was making to save Cora. My wolf and I wanted her alive at any cost." 

        Deaton nods at this and without anything else to discuss, we return to the rest. Hours passed by, sleep coming in short increments of time before we're jolted awake by urgency and slight adrenaline. I looked down worriedly at the three who remained underwater. My eyes were about to close for a short nap before three loud gasps were heard. They all cough as they pull themselves out of the tub. 

        "I saw it." Scott exclaims as I grab the nearby towel and wrap it around him. "I know where it is."

        "We passed it." Stiles adds in as he grabs the towel from Lydia. "There's... There's a stump, this huge tree. Well, it's not huge anymore. It was cut down. But it's still big, though, very big."

        "It was the night we were looking for the body." Scott continues.

        "Yeah, the same night you were bit by Peter." Stiles pipes in.

        "I was there too," Allison stutters out. "I was in the car with my mother. We almost hit someone."

        "It was me." Scott tells her as he realized how connected the three of them really were. "You almost hit me."

        Scott turns to all of us with a relieved look, "We can find it."

        Deaton and I shared a look amongst the others which didn't go unnoticed by the three of them.

        "What?" Allison asks concerned.

        "You guys were out a long time." Isaac tells them. 

        "How long is a long time?" Stiles asks.

        "16 hours," I answer. 

        "We've been in the water for 16 hours?!" Scott exclaims.

        "And the full moon rises in less than four." Deaton tells him. 

***************

Third POV,  _Derek's Loft_

        Cora slowly poured water into his open mouth hoping he would wake soon. Peter had filled her in on the events that had recently occurred. Diana had walked out of here with little assistance from the banshee. As for Derek, he was still unconscious. 

        The water spills over his lips and he begins to cough. His eyes flutter open and Derek finds Cora kneeling in front of him. "You're okay."

        "I'm doing much better than you are right now," Cora responds with a slight smile. "And all because of you and Diana."

        "Hopefully not all for nothing." Peter mutters from afar. He starts to walk closer to the weak wolf. "The moon is rising, Derek. You drained your battery all the way to the red, and there is a fully charged Alpha on her way to rip you limb from limb."

        "I'll be fine in a few hours." Derek groans out as Cora helps him back on his feet.

        "I sincerely hope so," Peter responds. "Because a few hours is all that you have." 

        Derek looks around the loft and turns back to Peter. 

        "Where is she?" Derek asks him with a sense of urgency. "Where's Diana?" 

        "She ran off once she woke up," Peter answers. 

        Derek needed to know. He needed to know if she was being honest with him when she said that she had nothing to do with the Hale fire. He needed to know if she truly hasn't taken an innocent life. Her eyes were the windows to her soul and he needed access to them. 

        "And her eyes?" Derek asks. "The color of her eyes?" 

        "Dark brown," Peter answers with a shrug. "Like melted dark chocolate in the midst of winter..." 

        Derek slammed Peter against the wall which caused Peter's sarcasm to be cut short. 

        "The color of her eyes," Derek grits out. "Tell me what they were." 

        Peter raises his hand in surrender and Derek slowly lets him go. 

        "I don't know." Peter tells him. "I don't know." 

***************

Diana's POV,  _BH Animal Clinic_

        "No, dude, you are not going back with them." Stiles exclaims as he moves to sit next to Scott.

        "I made a deal with Deucalion." Scott tells him. 

        "Does anyone else think that sounds a lot like a deal with the devil?" Stiles asks as he turns to the rest of us. 

        "Why does it matter, anyway?" Isaac prompts.

        "Because I still don't think that we can beat Jennifer without their help." Scott reasons with them. 

        "Diana," Allison calls me out. "He trusts you more than anyone. Tell him he's wrong."

        "I'm not so sure he is," I answer as I look at each of them. " _The enemy of my enemy is my friend_. Circumstances like this sometimes require that you align yourself with people you'd normally consider enemies." 

        All of them seemed to look at me with disappointment and I sighed. 

        "Look, I would very much love to go against Jennifer, guns ablazing, but that's all I can offer." I tell them. "I did something. The wolf in me is most likely gone. I'm not an Alpha anymore so all I have is what I was taught in the beginning. Guns, knives, and the ability to take a hit." 

        "You're a beta..." Scott whispers in realization. 

        "Yes, I am." I tell him. "And Derek is most likely one too. We did what we had to do to save Cora." 

        "So you're out of the game?" Stiles offers up. "Deucalion probably doesn't need you anymore." 

        "Which was Jennifer's plan all along, I think." I tell them. "Force Derek and I to align with her." 

        "But you still have a choice, Deucalion or Jennifer," Scott tells me. "And it's obvious you have to pick Deucalion." 

        "It seems so," I sigh out. "That's if, he still wants me."

        "So we're gonna trust him, the guy that calls himself death, destroyer of worlds?" Isaac intervenes. "We're gonna trust that guy?"

        "I wouldn't trust him, no," Deaton answers. "But you could use him to your advantage. Deucalion may be the enemy, but he could also be the bait."

        The conversation stops as we hear the door creak open. Deaton and I turn around to find one of the twins, Ethan, standing there looking at us with worry. 

        "I'm looking for Lydia."

        Lydia steps beside me and narrows her eyes at Ethan. 

        "What do you want?"

        "I need your help." Ethan answers. Scott and Stiles shortly appear around us.

        "With what?" Stiles asks.

        "Stopping my brother and Kali..." Ethan replies. "... from killing Derek." 

***************

Third POV,  _Derek's Loft_

        Ethan stood at Derek's loft with Lydia standing by his side. The Hales stood behind Derek with an apprehensive look as they stared at the Alpha in their midst. 

        "We know about the lunar eclipse," Ethan tells them. "So don't think Kali's gonna sit around waiting for it to level the playing field. She's coming, and my brother's coming with her."

        "Good enough for me." Peter answers as he glances over at his nephew. "Derek?"

        "You want me to run?" Derek responds.

        "No, I want you to stay and get slaughtered by an Alpha with a psychotic foot fetish." Peter sarcastically responds. "Of course I want you to run. Sprint, gallop, leap your way the hell out of this town."

        Derek turns to look at his younger sister who offered him a gentle smile. 

        "If you want to fight and die for something, that's fine with me, but do it for something meaningful."

        Derek pondered this response. This was his home and he wasn't someone who ran away from a fight. He couldn't help but also think of his unresolved issues with Diana. Deep down, Derek wanted to stay, but was want a good enough reason to stay and fight?

        "How do you know I'm gonna lose?" Derek asks Peter.

        "We don't, but I'll bet she has an idea." Peter states as he turns to the banshee. "Don't you, Lydia?"

        "I don't know anything." Lydia quietly answers. 

        "But you feel something, don't you?" Peter prompts. 

        "What do you feel?" Derek asks as he narrowed his eyes at Lydia.

        Lydia looked around the room and silently responds, "I feel like... I'm standing in a graveyard." 

 

_ Argent's Penthouse _

        The elevator dings and the door slides open. Scott walks out, phone on his ear, as Stiles called from his house. Allison moved past him with Diana and Isaac on her heels as they entered her apartment with Scott trailing slowly after. 

        "Just grab anything," Scott tells him. "Stiles, I'm not smelling your dad's boxers... Socks? Okay, I'll smell the socks."

        "What about me?" Isaac asks Allison. 

        "See what you can find in my dad's closet." Allison answers. "Anything with the strongest scent."

        "The weapons?" Diana asks her next. 

        "They're in his office..." Allison tells her as she leads her there. She opens the door and stops when she finds two officers standing guard beside a suited agent. 

        "Quite an arsenal your father's got here, young lady." Agent McCall states as he points out the array of weapons laid out on the desk. He looks past Allison and Diana to look at his son. "Scott."

        "What are you doing here?" Scott asks annoyed.

        "Following one of the only leads I have." Agent McCall answers. "Now, since I don't know where you've been, why don't you have a seat and we can talk?" The Agent sighs and calls out once more. "You too, Isaac."

        Isaac steps out of the hallways and enters the study too. 

        "Isaac, you don't have to tell this man anything." Diana states as she makes his way in front of him. "You're a minor and I'm your legal guardian and I refuse to let you be interrogated without cause." 

        "I don't think you have that right," Agent McCall states as he flips open his notepad. "Diana Ross, Diana Cortez, Diana Cruz... should I go on?" 

         "How do you know my names?" Diana asks him. 

        "Your names are one of the few things I know which is something we'll surely have to discuss later," Agent McCall tells her. "To be honest, the rest of what's going on around here has me stumbling in the dark, even over the smallest clue."

        "If you're trying to tell me that you don't have a clue, I learned that a long time ago." Scott remarks.

        "I'm really hoping to avoid the embarrassment of dragging my own son into an interrogation room." Agent McCall sighs out. "Really hoping."

        Scott lets out a breath and looks over at Allison, Diana, and Isaac. Having no other choice, they all took a seat in the small office and looked at the agent in front of them. 

        "I'm not gonna lie." Agent McCall states at the three teenagers and the woman who was most likely a high wanted criminal in hiding. "I'm more than a little disturbed, not only by the number of missing parents, but the fact that it's Stiles's father, your father, and your mother."

        "Mine are both dead." Isaac tells him. "And my guardian is right here."

        "Save the cliched teenage apathy for your high school teachers." Agent McCall tells him before looking up at Diana, who was looking down at her phone instead of paying attention. "Is there something you'll like to share with us, Diana?"

        Diana looks up and quickly pockets her phone. She offers the agent a very fake smile and shakes her head.

        "Not unless you care about my ex telling me he's leaving town, but still thinks we need to talk," Diana answers with a slight scoff. "Men... one minute they don't want you, the next they do."  

        Agent McCall narrows his eyes at her.

        "Who's your boyfriend again?"

        Diana pushes herself off the wall and takes a step closer to the desk.

        "First of, he's my ex." Diana corrects. "Second, I really don't want to share more information than I really need to. You see, I'll give you everything you want, but my love life is off limits."

        The Agent couldn't see if she was telling the truth or just covering for all of them. She stood over the three kids like a mother bear would for her cubs.

        "All of you know more than you're saying," Agent McCall states. "And I'm fully willing to keep you here all night if I have to." 

        Scott rolls his eyes at this and his eyes land on the flashbang arrowheads that tended to blind werewolves when used. He looks away from them and looked up at his father. 

        "You can't keep us here." Scott tells him.

        "Not without some kind of warrant." Allison adds in.

        "I've got a desk full of probable cause." Agent McCall responds as he motions to the desk. 

        "My father is a highly respected private security consultant and federally licensed firearms dealer. That means he has to own a few weapons. " Allison lies convincingly. She stands up from her seat and scoured the desk. "Like this 175-pound draw tactical crossbow or this carbon steel marine combat knife, .50ae desert eagle." Allison then picks up a hand grenade. "Hmm. Smoke grenade with pull ring igniter."

        Allison pulls the ring and tosses the grenade over the desk and towards the agent. The room quickly starts to fill up with heavy smoke.

        "Go!" Allison shouts as she coughed. 

        Diana grabbed Scott and Isaac and pushed them in front of her. They all ran out of the office and out of the apartment building, ignoring the agent calling out for them to stop. 

***************

Third POV,  _Derek's Loft_

        Lydia and Ethan remained behind in the loft as they waited for Kali and Aidan to make an appearance. Derek and Cora had packed up their bags and left. Peter had sent them off and went into hiding himself. This left Lydia and Ethan to face the Alphas themselves and stop this once and for all. The alarm in the room starts to go off but Kali kicks it away with one swift kick. Lydia and Ethan tried to send them away with a very weak excuse, but Kali craved blood. 

        Kali approached Lydia, but Aidan growled against it. Kali snaps towards him and slowly makes her way towards him. 

        "Did someone take their little assignment too seriously?" Kali asks.

        "She is not the problem." Aidan sighs out.

        "Maybe the problem is where your loyalties lie," Kali questioned as she narrowed her eyes at him. 

        Lydia turns to Ethan in concern as Aidan didn't seem to want to back off from the threat. "Oh, God. Is this about to get really violent?"

        "Probably." Ethan whispers back to her. 

        Before Aidan and Kali could start fighting one another the glass ceiling shatters from above. Jennifer lands gracefully onto the ground and looked up at the Alphas in the room. 

        "So who wants to go first?"

        Kali is the first to move as she runs towards Jennifer and sends a kick. Jennifer easily dodges it and the kick that came after that. Kali then swings her claws at her but Jennifer catches her hand and sends her flying with her magic. Aidan the goes after her but Jennifer quickly sends him aside. Ethan moves away from Lydia and rips his shirt off while his brother does the same. They start to conjoin but Jennifer quickly catches them before they could be done and splits them apart. 

        Kali slowly starts to get up and Jennifer turns to her. 

        "That's right, Kali. Look at me." Jennifer tells her. " _Look at my face_. Do you know what it takes to be able to look like this? To be able to look normal?"

        Kali just growls at her.

        "I don't care."

        "It takes power." Jennifer tells her. "Power like this."

        Jennifer slowly raises her hands beside her and the glass shards on the floor rise as well. They all turn their sharp edges towards Kali and wind starts to whip around them. Kali looked at Jennifer with pure hate. 

        "I... I should've..." Kali stutters out. "I should've ripped your head off!"

        All at once, the glass shards fly towards her and pierce various parts of Kali's body. Kali gasps, her eyes widening in pain, before she drops dead on the floor.

        Jennifer smiles at her victory and then turns to face Lydia who had witnessed it all. Before she could reach the banshee, Jennifer's attention was forced elsewhere as a growl emitted behind her. She turns around to find the Alpha twins fully conjoined. They swing their claws at her but Jennifer dodges them and quickly grabs them around their neck and snaps down. Lydia gasps as the big body drops loudly.        

        "What's the line coach likes to say?" Jennifer asks Lydia as she turns to her once more. "The bigger they are..."

        Lydia starts to stumble away from Jennifer but she doesn't get away too far. Jennifer slowly makes her way towards Lydia who is shaking like a leaf. 

        "What do you want from me?" Lydia stutters out. 

        "I want you to do what you do best, Lydia." Jennifer tells her. "I want you to scream."

        Lydia gasps, not really wanting to obey her order, but Jennifer pushes her over the edge as she reveals her true face to her. Her impulses ran deep and Lydia opened her mouth and screamed. 

        Miles away, Derek hears the piercing scream and pulls the car to the side. Cora looks toward him with confusion as she heard the same screeching sound. 

        "What the hell was that?" Cora asks him.

        "Lydia." Derek answers as he shifts the gear in his cars, preparing for a rushed u-turn. "We have to go back."

**************

Diana's POV, _Beacon Hills Preserve_

        I pull the car aside of the make-shift trail and park it. I pull my weapons bag from the backseat as Scott rides his bike beside me and parks it too. Everyone else starts to stumble out and I look up at the full moon slowly rising ahead of us. Allison, Scott and Isaac join me at the front of the car. 

        "Are you okay?" Allison asks Scott.

        "I didn't know what to say to him." Scott tells her. "I couldn't come up with anything, but what you did, that was awesome."

        "You did good," I tell her and I turn to catch the surprised look on her face from my compliment. Isaac pulls out his phone and turns to all of us. 

        "I still haven't gotten anything from Stiles, have you?"

        Scott shakes his head and I check my own phone to find nothing too. 

        "I don't get it." Scott replies concerned. Stiles had left before all of us and his task was simple.  

        "The storms pretty bad, he might have been delayed." I tell them. 

        "Alright," Isaac sighs out. "Well, we can't wait for him. Come on."

        Isaac walks ahead with Allison shortly after him. Scott looks at the road, waiting, but we didn't have the time. 

        "Come on," I tell him as I nudge him. "We should get going." 

        Scott nods and starts to follow after me. We catch up with Isaac and Allison who were standing near the cliff's edge that revealed the whole city below them. 

        "Cutting it a little close, aren't we, Scott?"

        We all turn around to find Deucalion slowly making his way towards us. 

        "We got a little delayed." Scott answers before he looks around. "Where are the others?"

        "Occupying themselves with other pursuits." Deucalion answers. 

        "You want Scott to assist you alone on this?" I ask him surprised at the lack of his entourage. "Jennifer will kill him." 

        "Are you inviting yourself to the party?" Deucalion asks her as he turns his blind eyes at her. 

        "If you'll have me," I answer. 

        "Wasn't it just a few hours ago you were threatening me to leave town?" 

        "Things can change," I answer. 

        "And so do people it seems," Deucalion replies as he steps closer to me, leaning over to smell me. "You're not exactly an Alpha anymore, are you?" 

        "I can still be of use." 

        "Yes, you can..." Deucalion replies as he looked me over once more. "You just need to wake up that little wolf of yours." 

        "She's full-on hibernating in here," I reply as I tap at my heart. "I don't think she wants to come out anytime soon."  

        "We don't have the time to argue about this further," Scott intervenes. "Diana is coming with us just like you wanted from the beginning." 

        "Not exactly," Deucalion replies. "But it will do." 

        Scott nods at me and then turns to Isaac and Allison. 

        "Okay, get Stiles, and then get to the root cellar, okay?" Scott tells them. "We'll keep Jennifer away long enough for you to get them out of there."

        "How are you gonna do that?" Isaac asks him.

        "I have a plan." 

***************

Third POV,  _Derek's Loft_

        Derek scanned his loft, looking over at the bodies strewn out on the floor. Blood pooled around the conjoined twins and Kali, the life gone in their eyes. Cora had rushed towards Lydia side while Jennifer stood in the center of it all and awaited Derek's response. 

        "You did this for me?" Derek asks her, unimpressed. 

        "For us." Jennifer replies. "For anyone who's ever been their victim."

        "Stop talking to me like a politician." Derek exclaims as he steps towards her. "Stop trying to convince me of your cause!"

        "Fine," Jennifer says as she drops her act and faced him with a serious expression. "I'll convince you of someone else's. _Scott._ You can save his mother, Stiles's father."

        "How?"

        "I need a guardian." Jennifer tells him. "And that's a role that can either be filled by the three parents I was forced to take or by _you_."

        "I can't help you." Derek answered. "I'm not even an Alpha anymore."

        "All I need is for you to help me get Deucalion in the right place at the right time." Jennifer explains to him. 

        "You just killed three of them on your own. What do you need me for?" Derek asks. 

        "You haven't seen him at his strongest. I have." Jennifer appealed to him. "And if he's got Scott with him, if he has Diana, if he has them both, I don't stand a chance unless I have you."

        "Diana would never side with him," Cora tells Derek. 

        "She would if it meant she could protect Scott," Derek tells her. 

        "Derek, don't trust her." Cora exclaims, but it was too late. Derek knew what he had to do. 

        "I have the eclipse in my favor," Jennifer continued to tell him. "But the moon's only gonna be in the earth's umbral shadow for 15 minutes. That's the extent of my window. There's no decision to struggle with. Help me kill him, and the others live." 

****************

Diana's POV,  _Abandoned Distillery_

        It was hard to ignore the darkness that the distillery emitted. I could sense from a faint emotional echo the torment that occurred here. Deucalion didn't seem to enjoy the essence here either but this was Scott's plan and we didn't question it. Well I didn't, Deucalion demanded an explanation. 

        "You said you had a plan."

        "On the first day of class, Jennifer sent all of us a message. It was the last line from Joseph Conrad's _Heart of Darkness_." Scott explains to Deucalion. "I got a message of my own to send her."

        Scott pulls out his phone and motions for us to be silent. The phone bings, warning of it's recording, and Scott starts to talk.

        "You see this symbol?" Scott asks as he revealed the swirl insignia clawed into the wall. "It's a symbol of revenge." Scott turns the video to the rest of us. "You talk about balance, about saving people. We know what you really want, and now you know where to find us." 

        Scott ends the video and sends it to Jennifer with no other context. 

        "You think it'll work?" I ask Scott as we waited. 

        "It has to," Scott answers. 

        I drop my bag onto the ground and start to prepare myself. Deucalion kicks the bag away from me and pulls me up to look at him. 

        "You won't need that," Deucalion tells me. "All you need is in here." 

        Deucalion grabs my wrist, his red eyes boring into mine, as he forces me to extend my claws. 

        "I have no control when I'm in that form," I tell him. 

        "It's time you let loose," Deucalion tells me as he lets me go. "I need you on your A-game." 

        I rub the area of my wrist which he had held me tightly and sighed. Scott looked at me in concerned but I brushed it aside. The storm continued to rage outside, getting worse as the time went by, and a heavy fog starts to descend from outside. 

        A solitary shadow appears in the midst of it. The shadow slowly shifts into two figures and Scott and I stiffen at the familiar outline. My heart starts to beat rapidly in my chest as Derek and Jennifer entered the distillery together. 

        "What are you doing here?" I ask Derek.

        "This might be hard to believe," Derek tells me. "But I'm actually trying to help you."

        "Ooh, mate against mate." Deucalion howls out. "How very American this is."

        Derek and I looked at each other warily but turn away as Deucalion steps forward, putting aside his cane. 

        "Are you ready, Jennifer?" Deucalion calls out to her. "Did you gather your herbs? Pray to your ancient gods and your oak trees? Slit a baby's throat, perhaps?"

        Jennifer's confident stance seems to falter as Deucalion makes his way towards her. 

        "Should we show them why you needed to sacrifice nine innocent people just to face me?" Deucalion asks as his voice as well his appearance begins to darken. "Or is it 12 now?"

        I could feel the magnitude of his power. It alarmed every part of my being enough to force my wolf to start to slowly shift inside me. Deucalion surges forward towards Jennifer and Derek quickly shifts to stop him. 

        "Derek, no!" I shout a warning too late. 

        The two wolves collide against each other. Derek uses all of his strength behind his swings but Deucalion easily catches his arms and force him down. Jennifer appears at his side and sends her hand towards him. Pulses of magic directed to Deucalion, but they all bounce off of him like it was nothing. Deucalion darkly laughs at this and grabs both of their necks and starts to raise them into the air, choking them in the process. 

        "Deucalion, please." I call out to him. 

        Deucalion throws Jennifer aside and drops Derek too. Derek swings his claws at Deucalion but he easily catches his arm and throws him against some crates aligned the further wall. I start to run towards Derek, who's spitting blood from his mouth, too weak to get up on his own. 

        We both hear crashing echo through the metal walls and find Deucalion swinging Jennifer away like a simple rag doll. Her body hits the ground, the battle appearing to be done. Deucalion grabs Jennifer by the neck and drags her forward, forcing her to kneel in front of a silent Scott. 

        "Kill her." Deucalion growls out. "Do it."

        "Please, don't make him do this." I plead. "He's just a kid." 

        Deucalion snaps his head towards me and lets out a growl. I drop to our knees, claws erupting from my hands and I felt my wolf starting to get up. "I've had enough of you." 

        I whimper as I try to keep myself in control, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. 

        "Now kill her." Deucalion growls out once more towards Scott. "Your parents are dying. That storm you hear, she's burying them alive. It's her connection to the telluric currents. Kill her, and it ends."

        I slowly look up to find Scott in the same compromised position I was in. His claws and fangs were out as Deucalion prodded him further. 

        "It won't end." Jennifer pleads. "Not with me. He'll have you kill everyone you love. It's what he does."

        "They're dying, Scott." Deucalion continues. "Your mother and the parents of your best friends. Kill her now, and it's over. Become the Alpha you're meant to be. Become a _killer_."

        "They're not dead yet." Scott groans out.

        "And who's going to save them?" Deucalion questions. "Your friends?"

        Scott shakily stands up and his eyes shine yellow. 

        "My pack." 

        I could feel something spark within him, because it sparked within me too. I felt my eyes start to glow and I blink them away as Deucalion growled at Scott's insolence. 

        "Maybe you just need a little guidance."

        In a blink of an eye, Deucalion appears beside Scott and he latches onto his wrist. He raises Scott's claws up and forces him to move forward. Deucalion stops him right in front of Jennifer. 

        "I forgot to tell you something." Scott gasps out to Deucalion. "Something that Gerard told me... _Deucalion... isn't always blind._ "

        Scott pulls out the flashbang arrowheads from his pocket and throws them against the ground. The blinding of the flashing lights didn't help put my wolf at ease and I felt my control slipping away as blackspots took over my sight.

        "She's awake," I grit out as I felt my body shift and break into conformity. I start to groan in pain as fur started to appear along my bare skin, but then it suddenly stopped. A golden light basked around us and I looked at my bare hands and sat upright as I felt my human bones were they were meant to be. I let out a light laugh as I recalled the feeling of being human.

        "The eclipse..." Deucalion whispers as he blindly looks around. "It started."

        Scott and I snap towards the entrance of the distillery and find Jennifer gone. 

        "Oh, no." 

        The fog grew thicker outside and lightning struck the ground. Jennifer appeared through the mist, dressed in black, face scarred beyond compare. Scott stood at the center and Jennifer easily sent him crashing against the opposite wall. Jennifer quickly moves towards Deucalion and throws him onto the ground. She mercilessly bashes Deucalion's head onto the concrete ground, cracking his head open. I move to stop her but a hand latches onto mine and pulls me down behind some crates. Derek stands over me and looks at Jennifer. 

        "Jennifer!" Derek shouts causing her to stop on her attacks. "He doesn't know."

        "Know what?" Jennifer asks, her voice sounding like a faint whisper in the wind.

        "What you really look like." Derek answers her as he moves towards her. "He knows the cost of bringing Kali into his pack, but he's never seen the price you paid."

        Jennifer turns away from Derek and looks down at an unconscious Deucalion. 

        "No." Jennifer agrees. "No, he hasn't."

        Jennifer kneels beside Deucalion and places her hand over his eyes. I slowly stand up behind Derek and watched as Deucalion screamed in pain. Jennifer removes her hand and Deucalion blinks for a while, his eyes revealing them to be hazel instead of a harsh red.

        "Turn to me." Jennifer demands. Deucalion refuses to follow her order and Jennifer stands up in a rage. "Turn to me!"

        Hyperventilating, Deucalion snaps towards her and gasps at the scarred sight of her. Her face then shifts back to normal and Jennifer raises her hand to send the final attack, but fails to do so. Derek moves forward and catches her before she could fall. 

        "What is this?" Jennifer groans out.

        "Healing him made you weak, just like healing Cora did to Diana and me." Derek explained to her. "You won't have your strength for at least a few minutes."

        "Then you do it." Jennifer whispers to Derek. "Kill him."

        "No."

        "What?" Jennifer gasps out.

        "Like my mother used to say, I'm a predator. I don't have to be a killer."

        Derek's grip on her shifts and he grabs her by the neck, choking her in the proces. 

        "Let them go."

        I move away from the crates and help Scott up from Jennifer's attack. We turn to Derek who is containing an angry and weak Jennifer. Her strength slowly returns as she sends Derek off her and punches him twice in the face. Derek refuses to meet her eyes and Jennifer walks away from him. Derek slowly stands up behind her, ready to attack her once more, but I quickly put myself in Jennifer's way. 

        "Just you and me, bitch." 

        I pull out the daggers from my pockets and hold them in front of me. I take a deep breath as I change my grip on them. "Diana, no!"

        I drop the daggers in my hands and they clatter in the ground. Jennifer's eyes rake me over in amusement and I meet her stare head on.

        "It's about damn time." Jennifer responds with a smirk. 

        I sprint towards her and slide under her kick. I quickly get up onto my feet and swing my fist towards her but she quickly turns around and catches it. Her other hand latches onto the collar of my jacket and she shoves me against a nearby boiler. She slams me again, with more force by her acquired magic, and I continued to latch onto her, taking the hits I deeply deserved. 

        "Come on," I grit out. "COME ON." 

        Jennifer continues to angrily slam me against the metal wall and I grimace with each hit. My hands slip away from her and my eyes close shut. Images of past pains flicker through my mind. There was Boyd bleeding out and Derek's red hands. There was Derek's near-death experience from the fall. There was Derek and the pole embedded in his chest. There was Derek... Derek taking the brutal attacks of a deranged Boyd and Cora. 

        My heart was beating so fast I swore it would beat out of my chest. Jennifer slammed me over and over again with more power behind her. I forced my eyes open and couldn't help the tight smile on my lips as I felt my wolf return to me with a hunger that I never felt before. My hands latch onto hers and I felt my eyes start to glow.

        "Your 15 minutes are up." I growl out at her as I felt the eclipse fade away.

        I throw her off of me and Jennifer slides against the floor. I tear my jacket off of me and jump towards her, shifting in the air. I was sprinting towards her but Jennifer quickly stands up and throws mountain ash into air, creating a boundary around her. My paws slide into a stop as I couldn't move forward.

        "Like I told you, Derek, either you or the parents." Jennifer informs him. "Well, I guess I'll just have to take them now. In a few minutes, they'll be dead, and I won't need a lunar eclipse to kill a demon wolf."

        My wolf growls at her, roaming the boundary for a weak spot and finding none. A hand lands at the nape of my neck and pats me down. I look up to find Scott acknowledging me to back off as he stepped forward. His hand rises to the boundary and he starts to push against it.

        "You've tried this before, Scott." Jennifer taunts him. "I don't remember you having much success."

        Scott doesn't listen to her and continues to fight against the boundary. His hands seems to push the boundary back, then his arms and his chest. He continues to apply constant and steady pressure and that's when it happened. The spark that I had felt earlier erupted into a flame. His eyes shift from yellow to a bright solid red and Scott takes a step forward finally breaking through the barrier. It releases a wave of energy that knocks Jennifer to the floor and destroys the boundary of mountain ash. 

        I mindlessly shift back to my human state and barely register Derek placing my coat over me. I stared at Scott with newfound amazement and respect.

        "How did you do that?" Jennifer gasps out.

        "I'm an Alpha now." Scott responds as he steps towards her. "Whatever you're doing to cause this storm, make it stop, or I'll kill you myself. I don't care what it does to the color of my eyes."

        "I'll do it." I state as I flip out my claws knowing one more taken life on the list wouldn't weigh me down. I move to take a step forward but Derek latches onto my wrist. 

        "Don't," he tells me as he pulls me back. "Don't risk changing the color of your eyes." 

        My eyes flicker up to his in surprise and Derek faintly smiles at me. In the midst of the fight, I hadn't realized that he caught a sight of them.

        "They're not blue?" I ask him, still not believing it was true. 

        Derek shakes his head at me, his hand caressing my cheek, and his smile growing bigger. 

        "No," Derek tells me. "They're the brightest amber I've ever seen." 

        I couldn't help but tearfully laugh at this as my hand grasped his in joy. 

        Someone clears his throat, breaking the small victory Derek and I were sharing. We both turn to Deucalion, whose healed enough to stand on his own. 

        "It won't change the color of my eyes," Deucalion tells us. "So allow me." 

        Deucalion moves past Scott and flips his claws out. He swings down on the vulnerable Jennifer and slices her throat. The storm outside slowly comes to a stop and I let out a sigh of relief. 

        "It's over," I whisper as I feel my knees buckle under me. Derek quickly catches me and leads me down to some nearby crates. I take a seat and couldn't help but chuckle at my physical vulnerability. I pull my jacket to cover my nude body and ignore the stare coming from Derek. I look towards Scott who's on the phone with Stiles. The conversation is cut short and there was one matter left to face. 

        I walk over to Deucalion as he inspected his bloody hand. His eyes look up to me and he scans my face with enjoyment. 

        "You have beautiful eyes," I comment as I stop in front of him and gaze into his healed eyes. 

        "And apparently so do you," he responds before his eyes flicker downwards. "You have a beautiful everything." 

        A growl emits behind me and I turn around to find Derek and Scott standing beside each other with scowls on both of their faces. I step away from Deucalion and make my way behind them as they decided his fate.

        "My mother told me you were a man of vision once." Derek states as he crosses his arms. "We're letting you go because we hope you can be that man again."

        Deucalion nods at this.

        "But if you're not, then having your eyesight back won't matter, because you'll never see us coming." Scott warns him.

        Scott and Derek turn their backs on him and start to leave. I send one more look towards Deucalion, who seems to contemplate on their words, before leaving him behind as well. 

****************

Third POV,  _Closing Montage_

        There was loud knocking that had disrupted Diana from her inventory of her current weapons. She put down the gun she had been cleaning and walks out of her study and into the living room. Her bare feet paddled towards the door. The knocking didn't seem to stop as she got closer and she sighed.

 _Isaac must have forgotten his keys again._ Diana thought.  _Probably because his head is too far up in the clouds ever since he started to see Allison. Gushing and mewling all over her. God! Of all the people he could date, he had to chose the Argent's daughter._

        Diana was too far into her thoughts that when she swung the door open she was caught by surprise at the sight in front of her. 

        "What are you guys doing here?" Diana asks as she looked at Cora and Derek. "I heard from Scott that you guys were heading to South America."

        "Yeah, we're on our way to the airport, we just had to make a stop." Derek explains to her. 

        "Ok..." Diana trails off as she opens the door wider for them to come in. She turns away from them and starts to make her way into her office. "If you're here for currency, I think I should have a couple hundreds for each South American country, but if you're here for a last minute fake passport, those take time to make and my guy is all the way in Nevada." 

        Derek and Cora laughed at this and Diana turns around to find them still by the door. 

        "What?" she asks them with a narrowed gaze. "Is that not why you came here for?" 

        "No, not at all." Cora responds with a smile. She nudges Derek forward and Diana turns to face him with arms crossed over her chest. "Go on, tell her." 

        "Uhh... we still need to have that talk... about us." Derek tells her. 

        Diana's eyes widen in surprise. 

        "And you want to have this talk now?" Diana questioned. She looked down at her watch and then back at him. "Don't you have a flight to catch?" 

        "Oh, Derek!" Cora exclaims from behind him. "You're so bad at this." 

        Cora steps past Derek and looked at Diana. 

        "He wants you to come with us." 

        Diana's eyes widen once more with surprise as she flickered her attention from Cora to Derek. 

        "Is that true?" she asks him.

        "Yes." Derek answers. "I don't know how long we're going to be away from here. If, I decide to want to come back." 

        "But isn't this like a Hale family vacation?" Diana asks unsurely. "Like... even Peter is tagging along. Are you sure you want me there to ruin the whole reunion?" 

        "Come on, DiDi." Cora laughs out. "You're definitely a Hale. Just look at the mate mark on your neck if you need further proof." 

        Diana turns to Derek who nods in agreement with Cora. She sighs and looks away from them. Her emotions were all over the place and she didn't want to force herself into Derek's life if he didn't want her too. 

        "I don't know you guys," she tells them. "This isn't just a decision I can make myself. I have to think about Isaac too..." 

        "He's been taken care of," Derek tells her. "I talked to Melissa. She's willing to take temporary custody over him until you decide to return." 

        "Well there's still the whole hunter family that are after me," Diana states. "Once my real passport is scanned, they'll be ready and waiting for me once the plane lands." 

        "Not unless we travel through a private jet," Derek admitted to her. "Which we are." 

        "But who's going to look after this place..." Diana starts to say as she looked around her apartment. 

        "I'll hire you a maid service if it get's you to just say yes," Derek exclaims. 

        Diana let out a sigh, trying very hard not to let her lips betray her with a simple smile. She was having trouble trying to find a reason not to go. 

        "Are you done with excuses?" Cora asks her tiredly. 

        Diana shook her head and placed a small smile on her lips, "Fine. I'll go." 

        "Really?" Derek asks surprised.

        "Really." Diana answers. "I just have to go pack a bag." 

        "Good," Cora sighs out happily. "I'll go tell Peter to bring the car around." 

        Cora walks out of the apartment without another word leaving Derek and Diana behind. Diana and Derek looked at each other with slight uneasy of what to do or say next. 

        "You know..." Diana starts to say as she took a step towards him. "Now that Cora's gone, you can back out if you want to. I don't have to tag along..." 

        "I want you to go," Derek tells her. "I really do want to talk." 

        "About what?" Diana asks him as she heads upstairs towards her room, Derek in tow. 

        "About us." 

        Diana pauses at this for a second but continues forward. Derek continues to follow her as she makes her way into her room and pulls out a duffel bag from the closet. 

        "Remember when you told me that a reconciliation between us would be impossible, about you hating me and me hating you..." Derek starts to tell her causing Diana to slow down in her packing. "About us never getting back together, that you wouldn't beg me to take you back, that you no longer had feelings for me, that we were truly over..." 

        "What about it?" Diana asks him quietly, refusing to meet his eyes. 

        "Well I'm standing here as proof that you were wrong." Derek tells her. "That  _I_ was wrong to judge you so quickly." 

        Diana zips up her bag harshly and looked up at Derek with her eyes brimmed with tears. 

        "I..." Diana starts to say. "I can't forgive you that easily. What you did to me these past few months... it's hard to overlook." 

        "I know," Derek answers. 

        "No," Diana remarks. "No, you don't." 

        Diana moves towards him and Derek watched as her hand shook slightly. 

        "I realized recently that you are in the center of many of my pains," Diana confesses to him. "That I tend to overlook everything when it comes to you. That even when I was mad at you I can't help myself from always coming to your aid." 

        "What are you trying to say?" Derek asks her. 

        "That forgiving you... trusting you will be hard," Diana tells him. "But us going back to what we once were is going to be harder."

        Derek nods at this, "I'll put the work in if you do to." 

        Diana tearfully smiles at this and agrees. She wipes away the tears that didn't fall and took a deep breath. 

        "Well I'm ready to go if you are," Diana tells him. Derek nods and swings her bag over his shoulder. He slightly felt the edges of her chinese daggers pierce his back, but didn't question her packing essentials. Instead, Derek took a hold of her hand and smiled down at her as she closed the door of her apartment behind her. 

        _"I honestly don't know if they're ever coming back," Scott confesses to Deaton. "And part of me hopes so, but another part hopes that maybe they'll be okay somewhere else. Both of them deserve to be happy."_

Agent McCall walks down the hallway and stops in front of the door. He takes a deep breath before tapping his knuckles against the wooden door. Slowly, the door opens and Scott looks up at his father with a blank expression. Just as quickly, Scott slams the door closed.

        _"My dad doesn't look like he's gonna be leaving for a while. But just because he's staying... doesn't mean he's welcome."_

The bell rings and the hallways quickly start to fill with students heading to their next class. Scott enters into the beginnings of this chaos and pauses. He can't help but stare at the crowded hallway with disinterest. 

        _"Stiles and I both feel it every day, just like you said we would," Scott tells Deaton. "And it makes me think about that quote Jennifer used to start our first class. Because when I feel it, yeah, it's like... I'm looking **into the heart of an immense darkness.** "_

        _"So what do you do instead?" Deaton asks him._

        Scott smiles as he finds Lydia looking disinterestedly away from some flirtatious attempt by Aidan. His eyes then find Ethan holding hands with Danny as they walked to their next class together. Laughter catches his attention next as he finds Allison smiling at something that Isaac said. In the end, Stiles stumble next to him and swings his arm around his shoulders. 

        _"I look for my friends."_

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not the end! I still have more planned on my favorite duo.


	14. Lost in Paradise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm doing an extra bit with Diana and Derek enjoying South America (featuring Cora being a Deria/Deriana/Diarek? shipper and grumpy Peter.) This is in Third POV because it's annoying to write switching POV sometimes. Enjoy!

 

        Children had chased down the familiar truck as it drove through the small pueblo. They were waving hello to Cora who was leaning out the window excitedly. She sent kisses to the local children before Derek was forced to leave them behind. It didn't take long for the road to lead them down to a small little hacienda. The truck drove over the loose gravel and slowly came to a stop. They had finally arrived.

        Cora quickly got out of the truck and pulled Diana to her side, leaving Derek and Peter to unload their bags and bring them inside. A few more locals walked past the gate with curious eyes to the strangers and Cora waved them hello, causing them to avert their eyes. Diana smiled at the atmosphere, one that reminded her of the small happy episodes of her upbringing. She didn't have a chance to reminisce as Cora quickly dragged her inside. 

        The keys were thrown into the bowl near the door and Cora strode in with a sigh. Diana took in the little abode and could see Cora's personality in everything. The house was predominantly painted white but it was bordered with yellow. The furniture was all mismatched but it somehow complimented each other. Paintings were hung around the wall which Diana recognized to be her own works.

        "Cora, this place is beautiful..." Diana tells her as she takes a step into the living room. 

        "Yeah," Cora replies as she leans on the doorway. "It took a while for it to finally feel like home, you know?"        

        Diana could only nod. She knew that feeling too well since she practically lived like a nomad until she reached Beacon Hills where she was forced to stay and settle roots. Diana didn't regret staying in Beacon Hills, but she knew it wouldn't be long before her grandmother tracked her down and disrupted the place she now called home. 

        "Stop overthinking." 

        Diana snaps out of her haze and looks up to find Cora intensely staring at her. 

        "I'm sorry," Diana answers with a small smile. "It's hard to get over that habit." 

        "Well, you are technically in a vacation," Cora tells her. "Relax and take a breather." 

        "You're right," Diana responds as her smile grows. "So what do you have planned for today?" 

        "Today is going to be a lazy day," Cora responds as she pushes herself out of the door frame and walks over to Diana. "The plane ride and the traffic we went through to get here was more tiring than I thought. I thought we could use today to just shower and sleep. I do have to go into town to buy groceries, but that can wait until we settle down." 

        "I can go with you," Diana tells her. "I'll like to walk through that little town we drove by and meet with some of the locals." 

        "Ok," Cora says with a shrug. 

        Their conversation came to an end as Peter and Derek made their way in. From the expression on their faces, they were not happy to have done all the heavy lifting. 

        "What the hell did you pack, Diana?" Peter scowls. "Kitchen knives?"

        Diana looked over at Derek who was trying to suppress a smile. Diana crossed her arms and looked at the elder wolf with a sly grin.

        "They're my Chinese daggers," Diana responds. "Just in case you get out of line." 

        Cora snickered behind her and Derek joined her soon after. Peter just rolled his eyes at his niece and nephew before dropping the bags into the hall. 

        "Ok, so here's the thing," Cora states as she walked down the hall and turned to look at them. "Besides my room, there's only one bedroom and... well the hammock outside." 

        There was a moment of silence as everyone processed that piece of information. 

        "Well," Peter says as he claps his hand and looked over at Diana and Derek. "Good luck fighting over that hammock, I'm going to take a nap in my room." 

        "Not so fast," Cora remarks as she blocks Peter from moving past her. "My house, my rules, which means I get to decide who gets the spare bedroom." 

        "Come on, Cora." Peter scoffs out. 

        Cora ignored him and looked over at the pair. 

        "Derek and Diana are going to share the guest bedroom," Cora states. "You know since they're mates and such..." 

        "That's not necessary," Diana starts to say, but Cora wasn't having it.

        "My house, my rules." Cora repeats as she turns and walks into the room. A lock clicks into place finalizing any discussion over the set rules. 

        "Ok," Diana sighs out as she turns to warily look at Derek who was the only standing in the hallway with their bags at his side. Neither of them said a word as they made their way into the guest bedroom. Derek set their bags down and looks over the room. 

        "She's really not hiding her intentions, is she?" Derek asks Diana as his eyes landed on the single queen bed in the middle of the room. 

        Diana nervously scratched the back of her neck, "Yeah, she isn't." 

        Their eyes meet for a brief second before turning away just as quickly. 

        "If you don't mind, I'm gonna take the first shower." Diana tells him as she opens up her bag and grabs her necessities. "Cora and I want to go into town later so I want to be refreshed before then."

        "Go ahead," Derek tells as he lays down on the bed. "I'm just going to rest for a bit." 

        Diana watched as he quickly chose a side of the bed and made himself comfortable. His eyes slipped closed and Diana could see an unseen expression on his face, one of complete ease. She felt like she saw something she shouldn't have and Diana quickly looked away and closed the bathroom door behind her.

****************

        Derek had faintly heard Diana and Cora leave to run errands before the nightfall. He had quickly fallen asleep after they had left until a sharp pain on his shoulder cause him to almost fall out of the bed. It had come out of nowhere and Derek quickly massaged the scarred skin in hope of relieving whatever the tensed pain was. It suddenly seems to fade away before it shoots up again and Derek lets out a gritted groan as he finally hears a familiar laughter. 

        Derek walks out of the guest room to only find Peter in the house. He continued to massage his shoulder as he looked out of the window to find the truck still gone. Peter narrowed his eyes at Derek who continued to knead the tender flesh. 

        "You ok there?" Peter asked him as he took notice of his nephew's agitated expression. 

        "I'm fine," Derek spits out. "I just thought I heard Diana come back." 

        Peter couldn't hide the smirk on his face as he rounded the kitchen counter and perched himself on the stool. 

        "So your Mate mark is hurting, huh?" Peter points out causing Derek to immediately drop his hand. "She's with some other guy. Wow... she acts quick." 

        "Shut it," Derek growls out.

        "I mean, she has the right to give you a taste of your own medicine," Peter remarks. "You did sleep with a psychotic murderer while she was off dying in some run down motel." 

        "Peter, do you not know how to keep your mouth shut?!" Derek exclaims annoyed at this point. Peter opens his mouth to respond but the roaring engine pulled both of their attention to the truck being parked outside. They could hear Cora and Diana giggling about something as they brought the groceries inside. 

        "He was really cute," Cora commented. "You should have brought him home." 

        "Brought who home?" Derek cuts in as he looked only at Diana. She didn't meet his stare and Derek watched as a blush grew around her cheek. 

        "It's nothing," Diana answers with a soft sigh. 

        "It's _not_ nothing," Derek retorts annoyed quickly causing Diana to look up at him with a quirked brow in question. She narrowed her eyes at him with the same level of annoyance that he portrayed. 

        "And you would know that how?" Diana asked him with an unreadable expression. 

        Derek had to restrain himself from accusing her, but Peter had no problem saying the problem at hand. 

        "Derek here is worried you were canoodling with another guy," Peter states at the edge of his seat, ready for whatever shouting match would occur between them. 

        "Canoodling?" Cora scoffs out with a laugh. "What century are you from again, Peter?" 

        "Oh shut it," Peter retorts to his niece. "The message is all the same. Diana was with another guy. Derek felt his Mate mark burn while you two were gone doing who knows what." 

        Diana turned to Derek with a narrowed gaze as Derek stared at her with an icy glare. 

        "I didn't realize I put you through such a discomforting time," Diana states unapologetically. 

        "Who was he?" Derek asks through gritted teeth. 

        Diana couldn't help the smirk on her face as she turned away from him to place things in the fridge. 

        "Who was he, Diana?" 

        Diana hummed as she pondered her response. She shut the door closed and finally turned to Derek. She had a small smile on her face, her body relaxed as she leaned on the metal door, with her arms crossed around her chest. 

        "He was the shopkeeper's son," Diana answered with a smile. "A four year old boy who gave me a flower and kissed my cheek and told me that he wanted me to be his girlfriend." 

        Derek didn't know how to respond to that as his whole body stilled with the embarrassing realization that it was indeed nothing. Cora couldn't stop herself from laughing and Peter chuckled silently to himself as he saw his nephew's little jealousy episode come to a sudden end. 

        "You have such little trust for me, don't you?" Diana whispers to him in passing as she made her way out. Derek didn't know how to respond, but by then Diana had left the room when he finally registered the accusation thrown in his direction. 

        Derek left a hackling Cora and Peter in the kitchen to cook dinner as he followed Diana out to the backyard. She took a seat on the hammock and just rocked herself back and forth as she took in the small garden out back. 

        "I..." Derek starts to say, unsure of what exactly he wanted to say to her. "I..." 

        "Save it," Diana tells him bitterly. "I know what you thought, what you expected..." 

        "Peter said..." Derek starts to explain but Diana cuts him off. 

        "So we're trusting Peter now?" Diana asks unhappily. 

        "No," Derek tells her. "But he did have a point." 

        Derek slowly takes a seat next to her and the hammock stops swaying. 

        "You have the right to pay me back for what I did to you with Jennifer or Julia or whoever she was," Derek tells her. "Besides, you are not mine to claim." 

        "You weren't mine when you and Jennifer happened," Diana states. "We were on a break." 

        "You were dying when I did what I did," Derek points out. 

        "So were you," Diana responds as she glanced at him. Derek nodded at this and they both turned away from each other and stared off at the horizon. "What are we even doing right now?" 

        Derek could see the scowl on her face as she thought over their current situation. A day had gone passed by and things seemed to just become worse between them. 

        "I want to fix us." Derek confesses seeing her scowl ease to a blank one. "Because I didn't get a chance to say this before but I love you. I've always loved you." 

        Diana could feel her heartbeat flutter as he told her this and she knew he had heard it. Diana didn't want to turn to look at him. She didn't want to see how real this whole thing was. 

        "I want to fix us too," Diana whispers to him after a while. "We did this whole thing wrong. We became Mates and then we slept together and we lied to each other and hurt each other..." 

        "Then let's start over," Derek offers to her. "Let's hit restart on this whole thing." 

        Diana thought this over and couldn't find anything wrong with it. They both deserved a clean slate with one another. She turned to look at him and offered him her hand with a small smile on her lips. 

        "Hi, I'm Diana Cruz," she tells him as Derek took her hand and shook it with a small chuckle. "We went to high school together. I was best friends with your younger sister. I had a crush on you but knew I couldn't act on it. I was a hunter for three years after that year and then I got turned into a werewolf. I killed my Alpha and was then chased by my own brother and father to capture me and kill me. I moved to Beacon Hills for safety and I work as a coach for the Cross Country and Track team of Beacon Hills High School. I am the legal guardian of Isaac Lahey, but I practically act like a mother hen to two other boys who go by as Scott and Stiles and that's all I can come up with right now." 

        "It's nice to meet you, Diana." Derek responds with a nod. Diana motioned for him to continue and Derek sighed as he tried to wrap up his life in a few short lines. "I'm Derek Hale. I was born a werewolf. I lived in Beacon Hills until the fire and then moved to New York with my sister Laura. I moved back to Beacon Hills to find her and you know the story after that. I've been accused of murder twice now but am innocent of those charges. I don't have a job because I don't need one. I have an uncle that I hate and a younger sister who I'm sure is eavesdropping on this conversation. And that's all I've got to say." 

        "I'm surprised you didn't mention your passion for basketball." Diana comments with a joking smile. 

        "Haven't played since high school," Derek tells her. 

        "Maybe it's time to start again," Diana advises him. Derek doesn't respond, but he never really had the chance to do so as Cora stepped out to tell them dinner was ready. 

****************

        They would sleep on opposites sides of the bed, both of their back turned to one another, and tried their best to remain on their own side. Derek was the only one to realize that their non-existent boundary didn't exactly work as he would wake up to find Diana wrapped around him every morning. Her head would nuzzle in the crook of his neck, her arm around his waist and her leg tangled between his.

        Derek didn't complain, nor made the fact known to Diana knowing she'll steer clear from him from now on. Instead, he would lay there for a minute or so before willing himself to disentangle their limbs and heading out to take a shower. Once he got out, Diana would move back to her side of the bed and wake up on her own. 

        Derek thought that was the extent of that, but he soon started to realize that Diana seemed to unconsciously reach for his touch when she was awake. When they walked around town, her fingers would graze his hand or her arm would constantly bump into his. On the drive back home, Diana would lay her head on his shoulder and rest for the short drive home. 

        Diana not only did this to him, but to Peter and Cora as well. She could always be found laying her head on Cora's with her hair being braided or played with as they watched a movie together or being given a piggyback ride by a reluctant Peter. Derek noticed how she seemed to crave tactile attention by anyone who would give it to her. 

        "Do you think it's her wolf?" Derek asked Peter after he decided to confide in him about the issue. "Like she likes being petted or something?" 

        "She's not a dog and it's not that hard to figure this out," Peter tells him with a shake of his head. "The last loving contact she had was from her mom and she died early on. Her brother and father didn't give her the time of day until she started her hunting training where she then associated any human contact to one of pain and violence. Now she's back into a semi-normal family atmosphere, it doesn't surprise me that she craves loving human contact." 

        "How do you know all of this?" Derek asks confused to the deep analysis.

        "Because I'm not a complete idiot like the two high schoolers you find yourself hanging out with," Peter snaps back annoyed. 

        Derek rolled his eyes at this, "So how do we fix this?" 

        "I don't have all the answers," Peter remarks as he swung himself out of the hammock. "I only know that I want her to stop making me her personal mule." 

        Peter went inside after that and Derek continued to think over what he said. His thoughts were cut short as he heard Diana and Cora come back from their bike ride. They were laughing like always as they set the bikes down and made their way to the house. Before Diana could follow Cora inside, Derek pulled her aside as he hugged her from behind. 

        "Derek, what are you..." Diana begins to ask as he body tensed from his sudden embrace. Derek simply placed his head on her shoulder and moved them to sit on the hammock. Diana slowly eased herself into his arms and could feel their hearts synchronize to the same beat. "I'm sweaty and gross." 

        "I know." Derek said refusing to let her go.

        "Ok," Diana answered as she tucked her legs into the hammock. "Why are we doing this again?" 

        Derek debated telling her Peter's analysis but he felt like that was a step in the wrong direction. Instead he told her another different truth. 

        "Because I wanted to," Derek tells her. 

****************

        Cora insisted that they had to check out this nearby waterfall. Only the locals knew about it and it was the best way to cool down. She warned them that they would have to hike half a mile to get there which no one minded. Except that once they started walking did all of them realize that Cora was practically leading them through a non-existent trail. 

        "If I see a spider at any point in this hike I am high tailing it out of here," Diana warns Cora as she helped her over a fallen tree. 

        "You're afraid of spiders?" Peter asks surprised. 

        "Yes," Diana answers. "No living thing should ever have 8 legs and a thousand eyes." 

        "You do realize you turn into a wolf, know how to kill a man with your thighs, and have cheated death twice by now?" Peter reminds her. "And you'll run with your tail tucked between your legs at the sight of a spider?" 

        "Leave her alone," Derek muttered as he walked past Peter and followed after his sister and Diana. 

        "I'm just asking the real questions," Peter snaps at them as he realized that he was being left behind. 

        They continued to walk for a few more minutes before Cora had told them they had finally arrived. Derek and Diana stood beside her to find themselves at the top of the waterfall. 

        "Last one in is the runt of the pack," Cora states as he pushed Diana off the ledge before jumping in herself. Derek watched as Diana's head popped out of the water and searched for Cora. Once Cora broke the surface, Diana jumps at Cora's shoulder and pushes her down the water again.

        "How old are you?" Diana shouts. "Twelve?" 

        Cora would just laugh as she splashed Diana with water, "We're here to have fun. Lighten up." 

        Derek just shook his head at them and followed Peter down the stone trail to reach the pool at the bottom. By that point, Diana had swum to dry land and was removing her wet dress off her revealing her black swimsuit. Derek quickly removed his shirt and jumped in. He wiped the water off his face and combed back his hair before noticing that Diana had remained at the edge of the pool with only her feet dangling in the water. 

        "You're not coming in again?" Derek asked her as he reached her. 

        "I want to get a light tan," Diana told him as she leaned back. "It wouldn't be a vacation if I didn't get one." 

        Derek pulled himself next to her and took a seat. They could both hear Peter and Cora loudly arguing over some miniscule thing that the waterfall could barely compete with their level. 

        "I have a question," Derek states after a while. 

        Diana slowly opened her eyes and looked at him. Derek cleared his throat and looked away from her stare. 

        "Why didn't you give me a chance in high school?" Derek asked her causing Diana to sigh. "I mean, I gave you a lot of chances." 

        "I promised Cora I wouldn't date her brother," Diana answered, but Derek knew there was more to it.

        "Give me the real reason," Derek states. 

        Diana sighed once more and sat up, "Marcos overheard you when you found me at the soccer field that day. He reminded me that we would leave soon and there was no use in getting my heart broken by some guy. That he and my dad didn't have time for that either." 

        Derek hummed at that as he thought this over. 

        "Your brother's an ass." 

        Diana couldn't help but laugh at this, "Yeah... yeah he is." 

        A comfortable silence settled between them, but Derek wasn't done with the conversation. 

        "We could have worked it out, though," Derek tells her. "I would have put the effort." 

        "No you wouldn't," Diana sighed out. "Because a few weeks later you started dating Kate and you were over me." 

        Derek shook his head at this, "I never liked Kate. She was just a distraction which ended up kicking me in the ass, but I never actively went after her... And now that I think of it, your brother pushed me to hang out with her." 

        "You don't mean to say..." Diana whispers as she thought this over. Slowly things started to be put together in her mind. Memories of Marcos and his nightmares after the incident. Marcos' care-free personaly being non-existent as he trained her. Marcos being very obsessive in hunting anything inhuman. Marcos having no empathy in anyone's pain. "Oh my god... he knew what she was doing." 

        "I thought you knew," Derek states. 

        "No," Diana says as she shook her head. "No, I didn't. I'm sorry." 

        "It's fine," Derek whispers. "Just know that the next time I see him, he's dead." 

        Diana didn't respond to the threat and just looked down at the water ripples at her feet. She was lost in thought and Derek didn't enjoy that he had forced her to recall dark memories. 

        "It was always you," Derek tells her. "Since the first time I saw you, I knew I was going to end up with you." 

        Diana turned to look at him in surprise of his confession. 

        "I think my mom knew it too," Derek sighs out. "I think she knew we both belong to one another." 

        Diana didn't know what to say to this so instead she scanned his face, her eyes stopping at his lips, and leant forward to kiss him. Derek hadn't expected that but instinctively pulled her closer to him and made the kiss grow deeper. She pulled away to soon for his liking but the look in her eyes was something he would never want to miss again. 

        "You're it," Diana tells him. "You're it for me too." 

****************

        "What's going on?" Diana asked Cora as they loaded the grocery bags in the back. Cora looked around at the decorations being hung around the storefronts and streets and sighed, "They're celebrating." 

        "Celebrating what?" Diana asked her. 

        "The longest day of summer," Cora tells her. "It's a thing here." 

        "So what are they gonna do?" 

        "There's probably going to be a feast, music, dancing." Cora tells her before taking in her curious gaze. "What? You want to come to this?" 

        Diana shrugged off her question, "I haven't gone dancing in such a long time. Sounds appealing..." 

        "Then let's go," Cora states. "I'm sure Peter and Derek wouldn't mind." 

        Cora couldn't have been more wrong. Peter and Derek sported the same scowl as she dropped the news to them of the plans they had for that night.      

        "Diana really wants to go," Cora exclaims to both of them. "So no complaining, no arguing, and no..." 

        Cora quickly shut up as the guest bedroom door slowly opened. Diana slowly stepped out and revealed the sundress that Cora had demanded she wear. 

        "How do I look?" Diana asked as she brushed her hair over her shoulder and did a spin. Derek couldn't help but sigh as he took in the white cotton dress that made her skin looked sun kissed and smooth. 

        "You look great so let's go," Cora states as she motioned everyone to move out the door. Diana followed after her and Derek was one step behind her. Peter with a huff had no other choice but follow the demands of his niece. 

        They arrived at the center of the street festivities. A band was playing music loudly and the streets were crowded with dancing people. Every restaurant nearby had their doors open with tables and chairs for those who wanted to sit down and watch the live band. Diana couldn't hold her excitement and pulled Cora into the crowd easily getting lost between the waves of people. 

        "Aren't you going to run after her?" Peter asked annoyed as he took a seat in an open chair. Derek sighed and took the seat next to him, "Not yet." 

        Derek soon caught sight of her and found her smiling widely as Cora spun her around. These past few days, Derek had seen her smile so much. He wondered if she would consider staying here where she could smile like this forever. He wondered if that would change if they decide to go back to Beacon Hills. He knew he would be ok in leaving the small town behind, there was nothing for him there, but Diana had everything.

        Diana had Isaac to think about and Scott and Stiles. She had that weird relationship with the vet and was still on the run from her family. Diana wouldn't smile as often as she did now, but she would be contempt. He wondered if he could change that now that they were officially together. Wait... where they officially together? 

        Derek didn't know how to define whatever was going on between them but before he could think it further, his shoulder started to burn. He hissed at the pain and looked up to find Diana rejecting the advances of some guy. Derek took this as his cue to intervene even though he knew Diana could handle herself. 

        "Is everything ok?" Derek asks as Diana quickly moved next to him. The guy seemed to back off at the sight of him, but looked at Diana in question. 

        "Come te dije," Diana tells him. "Tengo novio." 

        Derek perked up as he heard that and ignored how the other guy backed away from both of them. Diana let out a sigh of relief and turned to look at him.

        "Thanks for coming to my rescue," Diana tells him. "I didn't want to resort to violence so quickly." 

        Derek would have laughed at that but her words were still being played on loop in his head, "I'm your boyfriend?" 

        Diana looked up at him with her lips quirking up in a small smile. She placed her arms around his neck and began to sway to the rhythm of the music. 

        "I can't outright tell him that we're mated," Diana tells him. "I don't even think there's a Spanish word for that." 

        Derek chuckled at that and just placed his hands on her waist as he let her lead the dance. 

        "We have to head back home soon," Derek tells her. 

        "I know," Diana whispers. "It's almost been two weeks since we've been here." 

        "You sound sad," Derek notices. 

        "Well, who would ever want to leave this wonderful paradise?" Diana answers. "Who would want to go back to Beacon Hills after everything that has happened to us there?" 

        "I'll admit I'm not that excited to go back, but you have responsibilities to return too," Derek reminds her. 

        "Yeah, I know..." Diana sighs out. "All of the boys only have two more years to go before they have to graduate and since my family haven't found me there yet then I should just stay there until I have to move again." 

        "They can't chase you forever," Derek tells her. 

        "They can and they will," Diana sighs out as she let her head rest on Derek's chest. "I'm never going to be free. Are you ok with that?" 

        "No," Derek responds feeling her tense under his fingers. "You don't deserve to be caged like that. You're a wolf. You're meant to be free." 

        "Well for now I am," Diana tells him. "And that's good enough for me." 

****************

        For the first time that week, Cora allowed them a day to rest at home. Diana had woken up before him, enjoying Derek's warm embrace for a while more before slowly waking up so she could go take a shower. Derek went back to sleep after he heard the shower running. He slept for a few minutes more before hearing a curling scream coming from the bathroom. 

        "Diana!" Derek shouted as he sprinted to the bathroom. Her screams didn't stop as he shoved himself against the locked bathroom door until it splintered open. "Diana!" 

        Derek saw her standing on top of the toilet seat with a white towel wrapped around her. 

        "What?" Derek asked confused but Diana didn't stop screaming and only furiously pointed to something inside the bathtub. Derek slowly walked up to it and found a large hairy spider crawling around the white porcelain. "That thing is huge." 

        "Kill it, Derek," Diana gasped out. "Just kill it already!" 

        Derek looked around for something to kill it with when the spider unexpectedly leapt over the edge. 

        "Shit," Derek muttered as he jumped out of the way and joined Diana on the top of the seat cover. Diana just shouted at the top of her lungs as the spider slowly crept through the tiles. 

        "Kill it please," Diana cried out. "Please just kill it. Oh God..." 

       Derek just clung to her as she clung to him while the spider had free roam of the bathroom. Diana's scream had managed to catch the attention of Peter as he ran to their rescue. 

        "What the hell are you two doing up there?" Peter asked amused. 

        "Kill the freaking spider, Peter." Derek shouts instead. 

        Peter shook his head at them and merely walked up to the spider and slammed the heel of his boot. He muttered something under his breath and walked out of the bathroom. 

        Diana quickly relaxed and let out a sigh of relief once the threat was gone. 

        "You weren't kidding when you said you were afraid of spider," Derek says with a chuckle. 

        "Says the guy who joined me in my little safe haven," Diana muttered tiredly as she combed back her wet hair back. 

        Cora slowly wiped the tiredness of her eyes as she got out of her room a tad late. She made her way into the kitchen and found Peter serving himself a cup of freshly brewed coffee. 

        "A spider huh?" Cora asked him as she took a mug out of the cabinet. "That wasn't a part of the plan to get them together." 

        Peter scoffed at her as he looked through the spanish newspaper with no idea of what it could possibly say. 

        "It wasn't a part of  _your_ plan." 

****************

        Derek and Diana are awakened with the sight of Cora jumping at the edge of their bed. Derek quickly pulled a pillow from their side and chucked it at his sister almost causing her to fall of the bed. Luckily, she recovered as she shoved the pillow aside.         

        "Get ready," Cora tells them. "We're going out tonight." 

        "And you woke us up to tell us this why?" Derek asks her. "It's 9 in the morning." 

        "We have a day's drive to make," Cora tells them. "So pack up your things and let's go." 

        Diana wanted to ask for more details but Cora lept out of their bed and was gone before she had the chance to voice any of them out. 

        "I guess we can't argue with that," Diana muttered as she got out of bed and pulled out their bags from under the bed. Derek watched as she tiredly wiped the sleep out of her eyes and started to pack her things. 

        "You know you don't have to listen to her," Derek tells her from the comfort of their own bed. "She's not our Alpha." 

        Diana chuckled at this, "Well we aren't Alphas either so the wolf hierarchy doesn't work here."

        "I guess you're right," Derek replies as he gets himself out of bed. Diana stops her packing and looked up at Derek with a newly formed question in her mind. 

        "You never talked about losing your Alpha statues," Diana finds herself saying. "Do you miss it?" 

        "I wasn't cut out for it," Derek tells her without hesitation. "I thought it was my right, but it wasn't. I did it all wrong. People got killed and hurt because of me. I won't miss that heavy responsibility." Derek pauses and looks over at her. "What about you? Do you miss it?" 

        "I've always been an Alpha," Diana tells him. "It was a heavy burden to bear but now I'm free of it. I think my wolf is glad to have that over with. She's more relaxed and so am I." 

        Derek smiled at that and realized that he also felt the same way. 

        "I still feel this big urge to protect the boys though," Diana confesses. "I feel like they would find themselves some trouble if I'm not there to stop them." 

        "But that's just who they are," Derek retorts with a chuckle. "And we've left them unsupervised for two weeks now." 

        Diana's eyes widen at that news, "Shit. We need to get back there soon." 

        "We will," Derek tells her. "Our flights are scheduled for the day after tomorrow." 

        Diana was relieved to hear that and finished her packing as she thought back to all of the things she had to do once she returned home. 

        ******

        They had driven down to a city that was actually on the map. Nightlife was loud and active as live artists played at the edge of the streets and food trucks were parked in random corners. Cora had reserved three rooms to get ready for their night out and stay in afterwards. She and Diana were currently occupying one as they got ready. 

        "So where are we going exactly?" Diana sighed out as Cora forced her out of the sandals she was wearing and placed black stilettos. "And why do I have to wear heels?" 

        "Because we're going clubbing and you need to look your fucking best," Cora states.

        "Cora, I hate clubs." Diana tells her. "The alcohol has no effect, people are grinding against each other so hormones are polluting the air, and the music hurts my ears." 

        "The club we're going to is only catered to us supernaturals," Cora explains to her as she zipped up her own dress. 

        "Which means?" 

        "It means there's alcohol that will get us drunk, werewolves who know how to cover their scents, and a good DJ with a nice sound system." 

        Diana sighed as she dropped down at the bed. 

        "Now let's go," Cora said as she slapped Diana's leg to force her out of bed. "The boys are already waiting for us." 

        Having no other choice, Diana followed after Cora out into the lobby. Like she said, Derek and Peter were waiting for them to go. A short taxi drive took them to their destined location where Cora was able to surpass the line as she was on the VIP list. 

        "How did you manage that?" Peter asks her once they got inside. 

        "I've lived here for 7 years now, Peter. I know the right people." Cora answered before heading straight to the bar. Peter shortly left after as he caught sight of a woman's lingering gaze. Diana watched him go and nudged Derek's side. 

        "Should we cock block him?" 

        "That sounds like fun," Derek tells her. "But I'm sure he'll manage to do that himself." 

        Derek placed his hands on her hips and led her to a free booth at the side of the dance floor. Like Cora said, the place had nice music, the booze was strong enough to let Diana let loose a bit, and she could distinctly smell Derek's soft cologne and nothing else. 

        "Take it easy," Derek warned her as she quickly finished her second strawberry margarita. "They're tequila isn't known for being weak." 

        "I'm a big girl, Derek." Diana remarks as she leaned dangerously into the crook of his neck. Her eyes glowed yellow and her fangs were extended. "I can take care of myself." 

        Derek didn't get a chance to respond as she pressed a kiss on his neck before immediately standing up and motioning him to follow her. 

        "Dance with me." 

        He didn't hesitate to follow after her as some unknown song played a loud primal beat. She swung her hips in a hypnotizing way and Derek had to make sure that the other wolves knew who she belong to. He pulled her close and Diana moaned as she felt his cold hands sooth the heat of her skin. They danced for a couple of more songs in close proximity before Diana stumbled a couple of times.  

        "You were right," she whispers into his ear. "That tequila hits hard." 

        Derek chuckled at this and quickly grabbed a hold of her waist as he led her to the bar counter for a glass of water. As usual, the bar was crowded with people wanting their orders so Derek had a hard time fighting through to get to the bartender. He finally manages to reach the bartender's attention but not without having Diana accidentally shove the guy next to her. 

        "Sorry about that," Derek tells him quickly as he motioned for Diana to take a seat as the bartender grabbed her a glass of water. 

        "Your bitch is going to pay for that." 

        Derek turned to look at the guy next to him and narrowed his eyes at him, "Excuse me?" 

        "I said, _your bitch is going to pay for that_." 

        Derek steps up to the angry stranger with his chest puffed out and his blue eyes glowing. Diana calls out to him worriedly and tries to pull him back. 

        "You better apologize..." 

        "Derek..." 

        "Not now, Diana." Derek cuts her off before he catches sight of her paled expression. "Diana..." 

        "Diana?" 

        Diana shakily stands up and pushes Derek behind her as she faced a piece of her past. 

        "Hi, Marcos." 

        Derek stiffened at the greeting and realized now why Diana had wanted him to retreat. 

        "We should go," Derek tells her as he tries to pull her away, but Marcos proved that to be difficult as he latched his hand on Diana's wrist. 

        "This is where you went to hide?" Marcos grits out at her. "You've been hiding with a Hale?" 

        Diana seems to find her footing and quickly pushes Marcos back with the strength she possessed. 

        "I'm not only hiding with him," Diana tells him. "I'm  _mated_ to him." 

        This didn't help their situation any better as Marcos pulled a gun from the waist of his pants and aimed it at her. Derek quickly pulled her out of the way and Diana found herself shouting a warning to her fellow wolves. 

        "He's got a gun!" she shouts, causing chaos to erupt in the club. "A hunter in our midst!" 

        People started to scream and run towards the nearest exit. Marcos is shoved out of the way and Derek takes this as his cue to pull Diana out to safety. Diana could hear shots being fired and she felt her heart jump to her throat as she realized that Cora and Peter were nowhere near them. 

        "Cora... Peter..." Diana gasps out as they run outside. "We can't leave without them." 

        "They know where to find us," Derek states as he drags her further down the street. 

        "Marcos isn't going to stop until he kills me," Diana tells him. "I'm screwed." 

        "We'll talk about this later, for now we need to find a way back to the hotel." 

        As if on cue, a black mustang pulls up beside them. The tinted window is rolled down and Peter reveals himself with a scowl on his face, "Are you guys getting in or not?" 

        Derek quickly opens the door and motions for Diana to get in before slipping right next to her. Cora quickly peels out of the street and makes her way to the hotel. 

        "What the hell happened?" Cora asks as she looked at Diana's shaken body. 

        "Where the hell did you get this car?" Diana prompted with instead. 

        "I stole it from some Phoenix," Cora answered quickly. "I'm sure if he's killed, he'll generate well enough. Us... not so much." 

        Cora glanced at the rear view mirror only to see Derek's tighten jaw and Diana leaning her head back with closed eyes. 

        "What happened back there?" Cora asked again. 

        "Marcos found me," Diana answers with a sigh. "They'll be after me once he makes the call." 

        "Well I guess this is the last I see you," Peter remarks without remorse. "It was nice knowing you." 

        Cora quickly punched her uncle's shoulder causing him to wince. 

        "He's right," Diana states causing Derek to turn to her with a scowl. "I need to lead them away from all of y'all. I can't have you guys getting caught in their crosshairs. I'll lead them away and meet with you guys back in Beacon Hills." 

        "I'm not leaving you alone to face them," Derek tells her. 

        "They're my problem," Diana argues. "I'm not going to make you start running now. Besides, I need you to get back home and make sure Isaac hasn't gotten himself killed by Chris." 

        Derek rolled his eyes at this and refused to agree to her demands. 

        "Cora can't be caught, ok?" Diana exclaimed to him. "This is her home and I'm not going to bring my family down on her. You and Peter have to head back to Beacon Hills while I lead them away. They'll come after y'all and me, we'll split the hunters in half which means we'll have a higher chance to come out of this unscathed." 

        "They're going to kill you if they catch you," Derek states.

        "Do you really still underestimate my skill?" Diana asks him. "I've hid from them and escaped their clutches for 4 years now. I'll be fine. I'm more worried if you'll be able to shake them off in your end." 

        "They don't hold anything against us," Derek tells her. "We'll be fine." 

        "Then it's settled," Diana says as Cora parked the car at the hotel. "We'll meet at Beacon Hills in a few days. Cora will be our source of communication." 

        "Wait why?" Peter asks before Diana pulls out her phone and dismembers it. "Oh." 

        Diana quickly pressed a kiss on Derek's lips, "I have to get my bag and start to head out of here. I'll see you soon ok?" 

        "Fine," Derek mutters with a scowl. 

        "I'll go get your bag," Cora states as she throws Diana the key and starts to jog towards their room. Peter follows after her knowing they had bags of their own to take. Diana was left alone with Derek to say a temporary goodbye. 

        "Please don't do anything stupid while I'm gone," Diana whispers as she pulled him into an embrace. She pulled back and let her fingers run across his stubble as she took every detail of his face. Derek couldn't help but smile faintly at that. "I'm not Scott or Stiles." 

        "I know," she whispers. "But I can still be worried all the same." 

        "Do you trust me?" Derek asks her in which Diana bites her lip before slowly nodding at him. "Then trust me that I'll be waiting for you back home." 

        "You better," Diana sighs out before removing herself from his arms. Cora stepped out with her bag in hand and Diana quickly took it. She gives her best friend a tight hug before turning to catch one more sight of Derek. 

        "Don't keep me waiting," Derek tells her as she threw the bag inside and got herself comfortable in the driver's seat. 

        "Don't get caught," Diana answers with instead before sending him one more kiss and driving out of there. Derek watched as the sleek black car drove away and sighed. Peter stepped out a while after with their bags at his side. 

        "I have a question," Peter states as he hands his nephew his duffel. "Diana's family, they're the Cruzes and..." 

        "Calaveras," Derek answers quickly. 

        "Hmm," Peter hums causing both younger Hales to know that something was up. 

        "What do you know, Peter?" Cora asks suspiciously. 

        "Oh, well... I'm sure it's nothing, but there's a rumor that went around about the Calaveras." Peter answers nonchalantly as their truck was being brought in by the valet. He threw his bag in the back before facing Cora and Derek. "It was said they were in possession of the claws of a very powerful Alpha." 

        "And?" Derek asked finding no importance in that. 

        "An Alpha that had the ability to turn into a wolf," Peter tells them seeing both of their eyes waver in interest. "An Alpha who ran through the woods of Beacon Hills." 

        "Are you saying that the Calaveras have the remains of our mother?" Derek exclaims at Peter. 

        "That's exactly what I'm saying," Peter states as he climbs into the truck. "So... what are we waiting for? Are we going to get them back or what?" 

        "Derek..." Cora says warningly. "There's a reason Diana is on a run from these guys. You can't just face them head first." 

        "They'll be distracted with their game of cat and mouse with Diana," Peter tells Derek. "We'll be fine." 

        Derek knew that Cora was right, but if Peter was right about this, if the Calaveras had the only connection he had of his mother... he knew he couldn't let the personality pass. 

        "Where are we headed?" Derek asks as he climbs into the driver's seat. 

        Cora shook her head at him and Peter merely grinned at his victory. 

        "Mexico." 

****************

        Diana let out a sigh as she pulled cruiser to the side of the sandy road. She had been driving for a few days trying to put distance between Cora and herself. She had assumed that Marcos and her father would be at her heels but she had seen nothing out of the usual. She let the car cool down and pulled out her burner phone to make a call. 

        " _Hello?"_

"Cora, it's me." Diana tells her. "Just wanted to call and ask for an update on Derek and Peter. I haven't been followed so I'm worried that they might have gotten into something." 

        The line is silent for a while and Diana could hear Cora sigh. 

        " _You're going to be mad at me for this, but I warned them beforehand. Remember that."_

Diana grew worried at Cora's warning, "What did they do?" 

        " _They're convinced that the Calaveras have some important remains from my mother. They went to go get them."_

"What?!" Diana exclaims as she quickly starts to make her way towards the driver seat. "You can't be serious?" 

        " _It's all Peter's fault,_ " Cora explains to her. " _He convinced Derek to go under the impression that the Calaveras would be too busy hunting you for them to be caught."_

"My grandmother never leaves her home, her city... even her country unguarded," Diana tells Cora. "They're going to be screwed the moment they cross the Mexican border. Nothing happens without my grandmother knowing. She's the next ever knowing person after God." 

        " _What are you going to do?_ " 

        Diana roughly pulls out of the small ditch she had parked in and sped through the sand dunes with one destination in mind. 

        "I'm gonna go save their asses," Diana tells her. "I'll call you once we're home." 

        Diana didn't waste for a response before she ended the call and made another one. She pressed the phone between her cheek and shoulder as her hand quickly pulled the bag from the back seat and started to assemble the weapons in her disposal. 

        "Hey, how fast can you get to Mexico?" 

        " _I can be there in a blink of an eye if you ask me to."_

"Well consider me asking," Diana answers. "I need to go save an idiot of mine." 

        " _Who are we up against?"_

        "La pinche mujer que es mi abuela," Diana muttered as she loaded the sawed-off shotgun. "Do you think you can handle it?" 

        " _I'm always up for a challenge,_ " she answered amused. " _Do you think you're willing to pay my fee?"_

"It's never been a problem before," Diana answered. "Why would it be now?" 

        Diana could hear Braeden huff at that, but she didn't question it. 

        " _I'll be waiting for you then,"_ Braeden tells her. " _Let's go save your boy toy."_

        Diana hung up after that and threw the phone out of the window for safety's sake before making the day's drive to a place she once had the pleasure to call home.


	15. A Long Way Back Home

Third POV,  _Unknown Location, Mexico_

        Every step taken above them would creak and spill decades worth of dust onto them. They were both covered in dirt and grime collected by the long days they've been held captive. The electricity ran through both of them for periods of time. Derek was used to this torture and could keep his mouth shut from the grunts of pain that seemed to satisfy their main captor. Peter shook and moaned to Severo's pleasure though. 

        "You see this equipment?" Severo asks them as he leaned back in his chair and motioned to the monitor in front of him. "Very old. The settings are not quite accurate anymore." Severo lets his hand drop onto the dial and starts to turn it up. "So it's hard to tell just how far to turn the dial."

        "I think it's a little high." Peter groans out before letting out a scream.

        "I've seen some crack their teeth." Severo continues to tell them with a chuckle. "Others, they just shake and shake even after their heart stops. Sometimes we don't even know they're dead." Derek and Peter both groan and Severo just laughs before turning down the dial. "But nobody wants to play a guessing game. So, why don't you just tell us? Where is la loba?" 

        "We don't know where _la loba_ is." Derek answers as he glared at Severo's face. 

        "No?" Severo asks dissatisfied with their answer. He stands up from his seat and motions for Santiago to start to prepare. "Maybe you need a different method of persuasion? Maybe we cut one of you in half, the other talks?" 

        "I would love to be the helpful volunteer, but we really don't know what you're talking about." Peter groans out. "And honestly, isn't bisecting people with a broadsword a little medieval?"

        "Broadsword?" Severo asks amused. "We're not savages."

        He nods towards Santiago to move forward and the chainsaw roars to life.

        "We all wonder how far your little healing trick goes." Severo states. "What do you think? Can you grow back an arm?" Santiago places the machine dangerously close to Derek's arm and he immediately stiffens. "We're pretty sure you can't grow back your head." 

        The chainsaw then moves to his neck and Derek slowly turns to look at Peter with a glare. 

        "Boys."

        The machine stops and both of their captors step away from them. Derek and Peter turn to find an old woman stepping through the beaded curtain with an empathetic smile on her face. 

        "No tiene que ser tan duro," she tells Derek and Peter. 

        "No hablo espanol." Derek states tiredly. 

        "Tu hablas muchos idiomas, Derek Hale." Araya replies as her smile fades away. "You know exactly what I'm saying and you know who we want. Where is the She-Wolf?" 

        Derek would rather die than let the woman who made Diana's life a living hell get her own vicious claws on her. 

        "We don't know any She-Wolf." 

        Araya sighed at Derek's determination. She knew he was lying, the Mate scar on his shoulder was evidence enough that he knew of a She-Wolf. Araya also knew that the same scar would also prevent him from giving in his own mate, "I know you won't talk, lobito."

        Araya then moves to Peter who gave her a sarcastic smile. "This one will talk. This one loves the sound of his own voice."

        "You should hear me sing," Peter responds. 

        "We want to hear you scream." Severo remarks causing Peter to sigh.

        "No one ever wants to hear me sing," Peter tells Derek who continued to ignore him. 

        "What could we do to persuade you, hmm?" Araya asks as she pulled out a carving knife from her pocket and started to caress it onto Peter's skin. Peter stiffened under it as she played the knife's sharp edge around Peter's eye and cheek. "Where is the She-Wolf?!"  

        Peter feigns opening his mouth but quickly closes it shut. His denial brought consequences as Araya pulls the knife away from his face and quickly brings it down onto his hand. Peter screams as Araya caught the cut off finger and inspected it with interest. 

        "Think about it," Araya warns him as she starts to walk away. "I'm only going to ask you nine more times."

        Araya drops the finger onto the floor and walks away. Severo chuckles at both of their stunned expression and follows after her without another word. Santiago took a seat and was left to watch them both until his abuela decided to come back. Like she said, they only had nine more chances to give in. 

****************

[ Diana's POV,  _Outskirts of Puebla_ ](https://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=225210672)

        I swing the shotgun over my shoulder and tuck my Chinese daggers into the gap of my boots. I pull my hair up into a ponytail and recheck the magazine to the rifle laying at the backseat of the car. 

        "You ok there?" Braeden asks me with a curious gaze. She had leaned against her motorcycle as she waited for me to be done. 

        "I'm fine," I tell her. "Just making sure we're ready." 

        "Well I'm ready," Braeden huffs out as she pats her singular shotgun. "I don't know if you are." 

        I could hear from her tone that she had quickly grown tired of waiting for me. 

        "Look," I warn her as I felt my nerves already on edge. "This is my family we're talking about. They want me dead. If this goes wrong, I'm done, Derek's done,  _we're all done_." 

        Braeden sighs at this and kicks off her motorcycle and grabs me by the shoulders. 

        "When have you ever gotten caught?" she asks me and I sigh at the question. "Hmm? When have you ever failed a hunt?" 

        "Never," I answer quietly causing Braeden to let me go with a pleased smile, but I wasn't too convinced. "But that doesn't mean my luck can change." 

        Braeden rolls her eyes at me, "You're a nervous wreck all over some boy." 

        "Careful there, Braeden," I say as I load the shotgun once more. "You sound jealous." 

        "Maybe I am," she whispers as she looks away from me with a displeased look on her face.

        "Well jealousy is a bad look on you," I tell her with a low chuckle. Braeden doesn't respond, but I didn't expect her to. I closed the passenger door and move to stand at the edge of the cliff. I look over the cliff and see the small secluded town surrounded by nothing but sand. 

        "I think it's about damn time for a family reunion," I mutter as I motion for Braeden to start moving in. She takes the cue and revs up her motorcycle and starts to lead the way. I take a second more to look over the town. Nothing had changed since the last time I was here and I had a feeling that nothing ever will. I let a sigh pass my lips before coming into the cruiser and making my way down. 

***************

Third POV,  _Unknown Location,_ _Mexico_

        Peter looked at his discarded finger with concern. Derek showed no empathy in his situation and remained looking forward. Peter sighed as he leaned against the fence they were tied to. He looked over at Santiago who was sitting on a nearby chair with a bored expression on his face. 

        "I don't want to make it sound like we don't appreciate your hospitality but do you think it would be possible to put that on ice?" Peter asks him as he motions to his finger on the floor. "Maybe something for my hand? Extra-large Band-Aid?Perhaps some antibiotic ointment?" 

        Santiago just sighed and ignored Peter's request. The room returned to a still silent before Derek perked up. Santiago didn't catch this change, but Peter did.

        Footsteps could be heard above them before gunfire started to echo upstairs. The bullet casings fell through the gaps and hit the floor in front of them. Santiago quickly rises from his seat with interest as he realized they were under attack. Men groan and the three of them hear their bodies drop. Santiago quickly moves to stand in front of the door expecting the trouble to come their way. The doors swing open and Santiago couldn't help but let his jaw drop.

        "No fucking way," Santiago mutters with a thick Spanish accent as he saw Diana stand in front of him. Diana couldn't help but grin at the sight of her cousin in front of her. 

        "Ay Santiago," she states mockingly. "Abuelita must of really wanted this place to be raided if she put you in charge." 

        Santiago was too in shock as Diana pulled his shotgun out of his hands and butted him with the end of it. He drops unconsciously onto the ground and Diana lets the gun drop to the floor next to him. 

        "Well that was anti-climatic," Diana whispers slightly dissatisfied. She kicks Santiago's body for good measure before looking up at the two captives. Her amused expression fades away as she looked up at Derek and Peter. "What did I say about getting caught?"

        Derek was going to respond to her question but another woman steps into the room with a bored expression. 

        "That wasn't as challenging as you made me believe," Braeden tells Diana. 

        "My grandmother isn't home," Diana tells her. "That was the challenging part of this whole thing." 

        "Where is she?" Braeden asks concerned. 

        "Why the hell would I know?" Diana responds back as she passed her shotgun to her. "You should just be glad she isn't here to make this harder." 

        "I still expect to be paid," Braeden states as she grabbed onto Diana's wrist before she could leave. Diana rolled her eyes at her and pulled her wrist back. 

        "You will be paid," Diana states annoyed. "Don't worry about that." 

        Diana turned back to face the two Hales who seemed to have been very interested in the short conversation. Derek narrowed his eyes at Braeden. 

        "Who are you?" he asks suspiciously. 

        "I'm Braeden," she answers. 

        "She's the one who helped me save Isaac a few months back," Diana tells him as she moved to break the chains holding him captive. 

        "Correction, I'm the one who was _hired_ to save Isaac." Braeden states as she leaned against a table with her arms crossed over her chest. 

        "Diana hired you to get us out of here?" Peter asks as he waited for the girl to get him out. 

        "Diana hired me to get Derek out of here." Braeden tells him. "You, I'm totally fine leaving for dead." 

        Peter turned to look at Diana with an accusatory glare. 

        "You're not getting me out of here?" 

        "I don't mind the idea," Diana responds as she caught sight of the bleeding finger on the floor. "You were the reason both of you got caught." 

        "Don't make me beg," Peter mutters with disgust. 

        "Now I would pay to see that," Diana chuckles out before motioning to Braeden to liberate him. Diana then focused on Derek, besides some slight dehydration, he seemed to come out of this unscathed. "Ok, let's get the hell out of here."

        "We're not leaving without it." 

        Diana sighed as she heard this and Braeden grew interested at the conflict between the Mates. 

        "Without what?" Braeden asked. 

        Diana ignored the question and turned to Derek. 

        "I know she was your mom but we have to go," Diana tells him "You already risked your life for this. I don't want to tempt the universe to try again." 

        "I'm not leaving without it." 

        Diana sighed once more and knew that they couldn't waste more time arguing. 

        "Fine," Diana gives in as she hands Derek his discarded shirt. "Let's get the damned thing and get out of here." 

        Derek nods at her order and pulls the shirt over his head. Diana followed after him as he seemed to know where to go. Peter quickly grabbed his finger off the floor and blew on it in attempts to clean it. Braeden rolled her eyes at him and stepped over his kneeled body to follow after Diana. 

        Derek led them upstairs to an empty room. Diana stepped in cautiously and took in the many locked boxes in the room. She scanned the desk located in the front and paused as she saw a picture of her mother when she was younger. Her fingers lingered at the frame and Diana sighed at the image of her mother in a floral dress. Diana took a deep breath and moved to find Derek once more. 

        Diana finds him standing in front of a box and he slowly reaches to pull the lid off, but his hand is forced away from an unknown barrier. Derek scoffs at this as he pulled his hand away. 

        "What's wrong?" Diana asks him. 

        "It's made from a Rowan tree." Derek explains to her. "It's mountain ash wood."

        Diana moves to reach for it herself and finds her hand passing through the boundary. Derek scowls in question of this and Diana ignored it as she broke the lock of the box and pulls the lid up. Inside the box was filled with black mountain ash causing Derek to sigh once more. 

        "My grandmother really doesn't want our hands in there." Diana states as her hand couldn't even come near the interior of the box. "She set the first boundary to block anyone who isn't family. This second one prevents anyone from the supernatural." 

        As if on cue, Braeden makes her way to the back. 

        "Can we go yet?" 

        "Not yet, I have one more favor to ask." Diana tells her as she motioned to the box filled with mountain ash. "I need you to pull out whatever is in there." 

        "It's going to cost you double," Braeden asked with an amused smirk as she swung her shotgun over her shoulder and pulled her sleeves up. 

        "I'll pay it," Diana mutters annoyed. "Just go do it." 

        Braeden chuckles at her impatience and reaches into the box. Her hands move around for a while before it stops as it hits something. Braeden grabbed the cylinder container and pulled it out of the mountain ash box. She brushed off the residue ash and revealed the triskele insignia on the lid. 

        "You went through days of torture for this little thing?" Braeden asked confused. 

        "I need them," Derek answered as he pulled the box out of her hand. Something about Braeden and the conversation she had earlier with Diana made him uneasy of her. "We should get going." 

        "Finally," Diana whispers with relief as she led them out of the house. She took in the unconscious men at the front steps of her grandmother's hacienda and frowned at the low numbers guarding the house.

        Something was wrong with this picture. If they were only ten men here and no sign of her Tio Severo, then her grandmother left urgently on a hunting trip that involved a large number of hunters. Usually those numbers were used to track her down, but that was impossible as she hadn't been followed since that encounter with Marcos. Whoever caught their attention was as much as a threat as she was or even bigger. Diana brushed the thought away as they reached the car. 

        "I guess this is where we part ways," Diana tells Braeden. "Don't know when I'll see you next." 

        "Sounds like you're gonna miss me," Braeden says with a smirk. Derek's face settles into his usual scowl. He didn't enjoy the grin that Braeden was wearing. It felt like it was a jab towards him. 

        "I always like having you around," Diana says with a chuckle. Her eyes take in Braeden's face in search of a hint of something, but she doesn't seem to find it. "Are you sure you want this?"         

        "It was the price you were willing to pay," Braeden reminds her. 

        "Fine," Diana sighs out as she pulls out a piece of paper from her back pocket. She unfolds the sheet and hands it to Braeden. "This is where they last sighted Deucalion. He's a good guy now so don't hurt him too badly." 

        "He scratched up my face," Braeden says as she takes the piece of paper out of her hand. "I'll only pay him back tenfold."

        Braeden scans over the map and coordinates before humming in approval.

        "I did double my charge," Braeden reminds her. Diana rolled her eyes and pulled the sheet out of her hand and grabbed a pen from the car. 

        "If this comes to bite me in the ass, I'm going to hunt you down." Diana muttered as she wrote down the numbers of some her private contacts. "Don't bother Leeroy too much and don't you even dare date his sister Lisa." 

        "Now who sounds jealous," Braeden jabs as she happily took the piece of paper out of her hands. "Later babe." 

        Diana could only shake her head as she waved Braeden goodbye. Her motorcycle disappeared in the distance and Diana let out a sigh. She turned around to find Derek and Peter looking at her with deep interest.

        "What?" she asked them confused. 

        "Did you and her..." Peter asks as he motioned to her and the direction Braeden had taken off too.

        "We're just friends..." Diana answers as she climbed into the car. Derek and Peter settled into their seats at her simple answer. Diana pulled into the street roughly and sped off. "... friends who flirt with each other once in a while." 

        Peter couldn't help but exclaim, "I knew it!" 

        "What is that supposed to mean?" Derek asked annoyed. 

        "She may or may not have a crush on me," Diana tells him as she glanced at him warily. "And she may or may not hate you." 

        "That I noticed," Derek muttered with his scowl still etched on his face. 

        "Come on sourwolf," she tells him as she pats his leg. "You promised to get me home." 

        Derek wasn't in the mood to talk more about Diana's admirer and just looked out of the window. Diana rolled her eyes at his attitude. 

        "Are you sure that you and her never..." Peter trails in as he leaned forward, between the two seats. 

        "Braeden is gay," Diana answers his question. "And I'm not." 

        "Are you sure?" Peter asks amused. 

        "Shut up Peter," Diana exclaims annoyed. "I'll throw that dismembered finger out of the window if you keep annoying me." 

        Peter sits back into his seat with a roll of his eyes, "I just wanted to get the story straight. No need to be rude." 

        Diana grew annoyed at his response and glared at him through the rearview mirror. 

        "You do realize you two were pulled into this mess because of your stupid ideas," Diana reminds him. "When we get back home you two are going to explain to me why in the hell you would ignore my warnings and go and get yourselves caught. You are so going to regret me saving your asses from that hell hole." 

        Derek slowly turned to glare at Peter who just sunk deeper into his seat at the threat. 

**************

Diana's POV,  _Derek's Loft_

        It took a few hours to finally reach home. I would have gone straight to my apartment if it wasn't for Derek's request that I had to shut Peter up and sow his finger back on. If it wasn't for Derek practically begging me to do it, I would have been resting in my bed by now. 

        I remove my jacket and shove Peter into the couch. Derek brings over my med kit from my bag and I take a seat on the coffee table facing Peter. I pull the finger out of his hand and open the safety kit. I grab two disinfectant wipes and hand one over to him. 

        "Clean the wound," I instruct him as I do the same with the finger itself. Peter winces as he dabs the alcohol wipes. I roll my eyes as his sensitivity and pull out the suture kit and open it. "You ready?" 

        "No, I need..." 

        I don't let him finish his sentence as I pull his hand forward and place the needle into the open skin. Peter howls at this but I continued sowing the finger back on. 

        "Ow!" Peter screams. "Don't you have any anesthetic?" 

 _"_ Of course I do," I tell him as I continued stitching him up. "But seeing as you're the reason we got into that mess in the first place I skipped over administering that to you." 

        Peter glared at me for this but I kept ignoring him. 

        "So are any of you going to offer an explanation as to why you risked your life and a finger for?" I ask them after a finish up with Peter.

        "I'll show you." Derek answers as he motions for me to take a seat next to Peter. I move seats and watch as Derek opened the cylinder container and spilled its contents onto the coffee table. Five intact claws clatter onto the black surface. "After the fire, that's all that was left of her."

        "Talia," Peter whispers at the sight of them.

        "I can't decide if that's touching or morbid." I answer as I look them over. "I guess the real question is, what are you planning on doing with them?"

        "I have to ask her something." Derek tells me. "And from what I've heard, this is the only way it's possible."

        "You gotta be kidding me," Peter comments beside me.

        "What?" I ask confused as I looked between them. "How is that possible?"

        Derek just placed a smirk on his face as he looked up at Peter.

        "It's a good thing I asked Diana to sew your finger back on," Derek tells him. "You're gonna need it." 

        I sit back and realize what Derek was asking of him. I look in between him and Peter in concern. 

        "You can't be serious," I tell Derek. "You're going to trust Peter digging these nails into your pretty little head?"

        Derek didn't answer my question as he started to pick up the nails and put them back into the container. Peter didn't look too happy with Derek's decision either. 

        "You know, there's always an element of danger to rituals like this." Peter warns him which only causes Derek to glare up at him.  "I'm not particularly fond of them. Unless they somehow benefit me."

        "What do you want?" Derek asks.

        "I want to keep them." Peter answers causing me to look at him suspiciously. "Sentimental value."

        "For some reason I don't believe you," I comment causing Derek to hum in agreement and Peter to just scoff at the both of us. 

        "She was your mother, but she was also my sister." Peter exclaims. "What? Am I not allowed a little bit of sentiment?"

        Derek and I shared a look of disbelief, but having no other choice Derek drops the last claw into the container and pushes it forward. Peter smiles at the action before taking up the container. He then hesitates as he looked inside.

        "What?" I ask him as Derek left to bring a chair to sit on for this. "You're scared of a few claws?"

        Peter just glared at me as his recovering hand wavered over the opening of the cylinder. Derek drops the chair into the center of the living area and started to pace around it as Peter continued to hesitate.

        "We're not getting any younger," I tell him as I grew impatient.

        Peter sighs as his hand pulls away once more and Derek grew tired of waiting, "Too long."

        Peter starts to panic at the sound of that and was unable to stop Derek from plunging his hand into the cylinder. Peter lets out a growl of pain and his eyes instantly turn a bright blue. I quickly shoot out of my seat as Peter partially shifted from the pain.

        "Is that supposed to happen?" I ask Derek.

        "I don't know," Derek answers as Peter continued to groan in pain. A few minutes passed before he's released of whatever hold he was in and starts to shift back to normal. We looked at him in concern and Peter just looked down at his hand and inspected it. 

        "That's not exactly my color." 

        Derek and I rolled our eyes at him as Peter continued to check his hand out. Derek moves to sit on the chair with the back of it pressed to his chest. His arms rested on the top and he stared forward. I step in front of him and crouch down to his eye level. 

        "You sure you want to do this?" I ask him worried of how unusual this ritual was. His green eyes look up at me and I could see the depthness of the situation.

        "I have to know," Derek simply tells me. Before I could ask what question he could possibly have for his mother, Peter steps up. 

        "This is going to be excruciatingly painful."

        "Just do it," Derek grits out. I rise from my position in front of him and look up at Peter in concern. The tight grin on his lips was doing nothing to help my nerves.  

        "Oh, I'm going to," Peter says amused. "I just wanted you to know we all have our petty revenges." 

        Before Derek could respond, Peter slams his clawed hands into Derek's skull. Both of their eyes turn a bright blue and I stiffened at the sight of both of their stilled bodies. The whole loft turned silent and all I could do was wait at the edge of my seat hoping that both of them will come out of this ok. 

***************

Third POV,  _Derek's Loft_

         _Derek wakes up with a loud gasp. His body was in desperate need of air and he breathed heavily as his eyes took in his surroundings. Derek found himself standing in his loft. Everything was black and white and the nemeton was planted directly in the middle of the living area. The door of his loft was open and letting in a heavy fog to settle around in the room._

_Derek was confused at the sight before him, leaving him in a state of panic, before he felt a sudden rush of peace run through him. He looks up to find a wolf slowly appearing from the front door and jogging into the expansion of the loft. The wolf leaps on top of the nemeton and meets Derek's eyes. Derek narrowed his eyes at the sight of it, the brown eyes seeming familiar, and when they turn red, Derek is unable to contain the sigh of relief that escapes from his lips._

_"_ _Mom?"_

        

        The sun seemed to set and Diana paced in front of both Hales with worry. Their little ritual seems to have taken half the day and it didn't seem it would end anytime soon. Peter continued to look tense while Derek's body seems to grow agitated as time passed. Diana could see the beads of sweat collect over his skin and as much as she wanted to go comfort him she couldn't. She didn't want to risk anything happening to him. 

        The clock continued to tick by and Diana quickly took notice of Peter's blue eyes fading away. His body tumbles back and his claws are removed from Derek's neck. Diana ran forward and caught Derek from falling off the chair. He was pale and his clothes were drenched in sweat. Before Diana could ask if he was ok, Peter stumbles forward with his own important questions. 

        "Did you see her?" Peter asks him. "What did you ask her? Did she say anything about me?"

        Diana and Derek look up at Peter with matching glares and he quickly backs off. Diana turned to look at Derek whose breathing was heavy and short.

        "Are you ok?" she asks him as Derek closed his eyes briefly trying to gain control of his rapid heartbeat. His head rested on her shoulder and Diana took that as an answer that he could be better. She remained holding him even when Peter got what he bargained for and left to his own apartment.

        Derek finally pulls his head back and Diana notices the color back on his face. He lets a sigh pass his lips as he rises from the chair and moves to put the chair back in its place. Diana watched as he set the chair down before pensively looking over the window. 

        She wanted to ask him what kind of question was so important for him to ask his mother that he essentially risked his life for, but she couldn't find the courage to do it. Diana knew that his silence was his own coping mechanism and that his guards were pulled up around him. Knowing she wouldn't get anywhere with him like this, Diana decides to take her leave. 

        "I should get going," Diana tells him watching as his body tensed at the sound of her voice. "I haven't slept well since I heard my grandmother had you and I haven't even told Isaac I'm back..." 

        "Stay." 

        Diana holds her breath, unsure if she heard him correctly. The loft fills with a tense silence as Derek looked over his shoulder, waiting for her response. 

        "Stay here with me." 

        Diana really wanted to say yes but she had someone waiting for her back home. 

        "I would love too, but Isaac will probably be ecstatic that I'm back and..." 

        Her sentence is cut short as the lights around them start to flicker before shutting off completely. Both of them look around in concern before they notice that the lights around the town are gone too. 

        "Would you look at that," Derek states at the sudden blackout. 

        "Figures," Diana chuckles out. "Of course this happens on our first night here." 

        Derek seems to ease up at the sound of her laugh and he turns to smile at her. 

        "I guess this means you should stay here tonight." 

        "Why?" Diana prompts with a grin, her arms crossed around her chest. "My car runs on gas, not electricity. I think I'll make it home just fine."

        Derek takes a step closer to her with a grin of his own. His hands find her waist and he pulls her towards him. 

        "I have flashlights," he whispers into her ear before pressing a kiss on her neck. Diana can't help but gasp at the feel of his stubble on her skin. "I have candles..." 

        "Hmm..." Diana hums as he presses another kiss to her skin, "... keep talking." 

        Derek pressed a kiss on her collarbone and looks up at her with a smile, "I also have a bed."

        Diana gasps as he presses a soft bite on her shoulder and pulled her up, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist. Derek couldn't help but chuckle as he started to carry her up the stairs. 

        "Derek!" she shouted with a giggle as they entered his room. "I have to go home. I have to call Isaac." 

        Derek drops her onto the bed and he sees her quickly pull her phone out of her pocket. Derek quickly grabs the newly acquired cell phone and tosses it aside. Diana looks at him in disbelief but he simply pulled his shirt over his head. 

        "Isaac can have you tomorrow," Derek tells her as he moves to crawl over her. "Tonight, you're mine." 

        Diana had no chance to argue as Derek quickly pressed his lips on hers, shutting her up completely. Diana moaned into his mouth before pulling away. 

        "I'm still mad at you for the stunt you pulled," Diana tells him as she sat up to pull her own shirt off. "You're going to have to make it up to me." 

        "Oh I plan to," Derek responds as he pinned her onto the bed. Diana wanted to laugh at his cliche response but she's quickly cut off as a moan escapes from her lips as Derek began to kiss down her body. 

 

_Argent's Penthouse_

        Isaac could distantly hear Allison arguing with her father over the fact that they weren't dating and she had no desire to date him. Isaac scoffed at that, muttering to himself how just a few minutes ago they were about to act on the sexual tension that loomed over them like a cloud. Isaac ignored the conversation and looked over the pages of the bestiary around Allison's bed until the lights fade out. 

        "That's great." Isaac mutters. His phone buzzes in his pocket and Isaac pulls it out to find an incoherent text from Diana. 

        _Hey I'm ksdokn..._

Isaac narrowed his eyes at the message, intending to respond, but stops as he hears something rustle around him. He turns around to find nothing, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that someone was watching him. The rustling continued and Isaac turned around in search of the culprit. He stops and finds a masked face in front of him and then suddenly all around him. 

        "What the..." Isaac starts to say before they close in on him. 

        The door of Allison's room is slammed shut and screams echo within the closed walls. Allison and her father sprint towards the room to find it sealed off. Both attempt to break the door down, but nothing happens. Only screams could be heard and there was nothing anyone could do about it.


	16. Illuminated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was like half a filler, half a fluff. But now we are back to business and I can't wait to write the rest of this. I hope you're still enjoying it! 

Third POV,  _Argent's Penthouse_

        They continued to fight against the door even once his screams were gone. The door was still forced closed but after a while the door finally lets loose and Allison stumbles inside. The whole room was still covered in darkness and Isaac was shivering on the floor. Allison kneels over him and touches him in an attempt to grab his attention, but his skin was ice cold.

        "Isaac?" Allison asks concerned as she tried to gain his attention. His eyes had a distant look and he was unresponsive. "He's freezing. Dad, he's like ice."

        Chris scanned the room for the assailant that was no longer there. He then kneeled down next to Isaac and assessed the situation. 

        "Isaac, look at me." Chris orders taking notice of Isaac's lack of response. "Isaac."

        "What's happening to him?" Allison asks her dad.

        "Isaac, come on." Chris grits out a shakes the boy. "Isaac, listen. You have to turn." Isaac shifts away from his hold and Chris holds onto the collar of the shirt tighter. "Look at me. You need to trigger it." Chris slaps him, but Isaac remains gone. "Come on. Turn!" Chris shouts as he punches him and continues to do so. "Turn! Turn!"

        Isaac growls after the last hit and his eyes glow yellow, partially shifting as he finally snaps out of his trance. He crawls away from both Argents as he tried to make sense of what he saw. Isaac shivered as he fought of the cold, but mainly by the fear. He hadn't seen anything like he saw today. An immense darkness.

        "Did you see them?" Isaac whispers out to them. 

        "Who?" Allison asks just as quietly.

        "There were five of them." Isaac stutters out. "They wore black. I couldn't... I couldn't see their faces. They were covered."

        "What do you mean?" Allison asks. "Like masks?"

        "One of them... I could see his eyes." Isaac explains to her as he shivered. "They were greenish-yellow. Like a... Like a firefly."

        After hearing this Chris stands up and checks the windows in the room. Both were locked and untainted with. 

        "Security system wasn't triggered."

        "Then how did they get in?" Allison asks him.

        "They didn't," Isaac answers as he looked her in the eye. "It was like they came out of the shadows."

        Chris perks up as he hears this and Allison takes notice of his change. 

        "Do you know what that means?" Allison asks him as he looks away from her. "Dad?"

        "Um... I'm not sure." Chris says with a shake of his head. "Listen, the two of you... I need you to keep this quiet for a few hours."

        "From everyone?" Isaac asks unsurely.

        "Just 24 hours." Chris states. 

        "They could've killed him, Dad." Allison tells him worriedly. 

        "But they didn't." Chris reminds her. "And I think there's a reason why. I think they might have been after me." 

        Chris then left the two teenagers on their own and made his way into his office. He closed the door behind him and locked it. Chris let out a sigh before moving behind his desk and pulling out a hidden box. He lifts the lid and unwraps the cloth inside. He picks up the pieces and puts them all together. He drops the pieces back into the box and he sees the complete silver mask that has haunted his dreams for decades now. 

*************

Diana's POV,  _Beacon Hills High School_

       [ I watched all the kids run inside the school doors.](https://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=225583804) I hadn't seen anyone I recognized so either all of them were late or maybe I was. I debated whether to make my way inside the school grounds and start working. I didn't have to start until next Monday but I wouldn't mind starting early if it meant I got to hang out with the boys today. 

        "Hey." 

        I look over to find Derek stepping out of his car and heading towards me. 

        "Morning," I say as my attention returns to the school. 

        "You left me alone this morning," Derek states as he stands next to me with a scowl on his face. I'm sure he didn't enjoy waking up alone after our night together but I had things to do. I couldn't help the slight smirk on my lips as I glance over at him. 

        "I would have made you breakfast in bed if there was any food in your kitchen," I told him. "And then I would have left you alone." 

        Derek simply chuckles at this as he faces towards the school, "So are you going to head in or not?" 

        "I want to," I tell him. "I want to go say hi to Isaac and Scott and Stiles, but then I actually have to work." 

        I distantly hear Coach Finstock shouting for the late students to head into class. Just hearing his voice through a megaphone was enough to convince me out of coming in today. 

        "Nope," I state as I hear the commotion of loud teenagers run through the front door. "Nope, I can't do this today." 

        "Giving up so easily?" Derek laughs out as he motions for me to get into his car. 

        "Maybe," I answer with a shrug. "Besides, I'm not supposed to be back until Monday."

        Derek just shakes his head at me and drives his car out of the parking lot. 

        "So, what does a day in the life of Derek Hale entail?" I ask as we drove through narrow winding roads.

        Derek doesn't respond as he stared directly in front of him. 

        "Let me guess," I state as I lean back in my seat. "You brood in your apartment then you brood in your car then you eat a snack and you go back to brooding." 

        Derek just shakes his head at me, "You do realize I have better things to do than that." 

        "Like what?" I ask him. 

        "Well I read and I clean the mess in my loft," Derek responds. "I do some grocery shopping and I... also work out." 

        "Wow..." I say in amusement. "You live such an eventful life." 

        Derek just rolls his eyes at me as we finally reach something amidst to civilization. 

        "Come on," Derek states as he pulls into the parking lot of a Wal-Mart. 

        "What are we doing here?" I ask him as he parks the car. 

        "Grocery shopping," Derek states as he gets out of the car. "You still owe me breakfast." 

        I only shook my head as I followed after him into the store. He places his arm over my shoulder and tugs me closer to him. I could only smile up at him as I felt a sense normalcy for the first time in awhile. 

*************

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills High School_

Even though the whole reason Ethan was at school after two weeks of skipping out was to get into Scott's pack, he couldn't help himself but try to get back together with Danny. He looked across the hallway and could see Danny's frown as he spoke through the phone. It was easy for Ethan to overhear the discussion that he was having.

        "Don't you have portable generators or something?" Danny asks exasperated. "It's a black light party. It's not like you need a ton of power..."

        Ethan starts to make his way at him as Danny sighs in defeat before hanging up. 

        "Black light party?" Ethan asks him as he caught him before class.

        "More like canceled party," Danny responds sadly. "The venue I booked won't have power for at least another day."

        Ethan nods at that knowing that the blackout from last night had half the town in trouble.

        "You want help finding a new place?" Ethan offers up to him. 

        "What's the point?" Danny asks sadly. "Nothing in town is going to have power. Thanks anyway."

        Danny walks away leaving Ethan on his own. Aiden had watched the whole interaction and he quickly stepped beside his brother throwing his arm around his shoulder.

        "You want to throw a Halloween party?" Aiden asks in mock interest. "What's next? You gonna join the Yearbook Club?"

        "Just trying to do something nice." Ethan says as he shrugs off his brother's arm.

        "Why?" Aidan asks annoyed. "Who cares?"

        "He does," Ethan answers as he nods towards Scott who was talking to Stiles. Aidan rolled his eyes causing his brother to scoff at him. "You don't get it, do you? Scott doesn't care about power. He cares about people. You want to be a wolf in his pack? Try being a human in high school." 

*****

        Kira sat in the hallway as her dad was pulled into a meeting. She pulled out her lunch and ate alone for the first time since she moved there. She had just taken a bite of her sandwich when Scott found her. He drops his bag onto the floor before taking a seat next to her. He played with the textbook in his hand while Kira sighed beside him.

        It was obvious from his expression that he wanted to talk about what happened last night in the power plant. What she did, how she survived, and why Barrow was ordered to kill her. 

        "I don't want to talk about it."

        "Okay," Scott tells her as he opens the math textbook, ready to change the subject. "Want to talk about the pre-cal test on Friday? The teacher takes all the equations right out of the book."

        Scott looked over at her but Kira seemed distracted. She looks over the open textbook in front of her and takes it from his hands. She closes it and places it on the floor between them. 

        "Do you have your phone?" Kira asks him after a while. "I'm going to show you something no one else has ever seen. No one except for Barrow."

        Scott pulls his phone out of his pocket and Kira nods at him.

        "Take a picture of me," she tells him. "And use the flash."

        Scott had some expectations as to what to expect but once he took the picture as she asked, Scott saw a new thing altogether. Kira was covered in this figure of gold; an armor of sorts, inhuman. 

        "Whoa," Scott comments. 

        "Yeah," Kira sighs out as she takes a look at the picture herself.

        "What is it?"

        "I don't know," Kira answers with a shrug. "It started showing up a couple of months ago. It only happens with the flash on and I don't know how, but Barrow knew about it. He used my own phone to take pictures of me."

        Scott recalls the interrogation done by his father last night after the blackout. He recalled Kira asking for her phone back and Scott now realized why it was so important.

        "That's why you asked for it back."

        "If someone sees those pictures..." Kira sighs out worriedly. Scott nods as he understood the severity of the situation. 

        "We need to get your phone back." 

        Kira nods at this and Scott sits back as he thought this over. Her phone was locked up in the police station under evidence against Barrow. How in the hell were they supposed to reach that without getting caught? 

*************

Diana's POV,  _Walmart_

        "Why are you..." Derek asks me as he finds me pulling a cart beside him. His eyes narrow as he finds my cart filled with the basic essentials and then some. "We don't need two carts that basically carry the same thing." 

        "What do you mean?" I ask him as I pull a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch box out of the shelf and put it into my cart. "I'm paying for this." 

        "Well I was going to pay for everything," Derek states beside me as we rounded the corner. 

        "And why would you do that? This is all the stuff I need back home." I ask as I carry a pack of water bottles and place it in the bottom. I turn to look at him and find his face placed in a scowl. "What?"

        "I just assumed... nevermind" Derek states as he leaves me behind. 

        "Derek?" I ask as I follow after him. I replay the conversation back and realize what he was trying to say through it all. "Derek..." 

        I catch up to him easily as he had just disappeared around the other aisle. 

        "Since when did you assume I was moving in with you?" I ask him as he finally stops. 

        "I don't know," Derek mutters. "I just thought that would be the next step we would take." 

        "We just got back from a two week trip," I remind him. "Two weeks of trying to get somewhere. It wouldn't be smart to rush this like we did last time." 

        "You're right," Derek responds after a while. "It's just that the wolf part of me, the Mated part of me, doesn't like leaving you on your own." 

        "Well I'm not alone," I tell him as we start to head our way to the front. "I have Isaac to keep me company at home." 

        Derek rolls his eyes at this and I could see a faint smile on his lips. He seemed more relaxed now and I was glad we got that conversation over with. I looked him over as he started to place things on the conveyer belt. It was odd to see him do such a normal human act. 

        "I forgot something," I tell him as an idea came to mind. Derek looks up at me and nods. 

        "Don't take too long," Derek tells me as he separates our things and starts to place my own groceries on the belt. I smile at him before jogging off and into the toy section of the store. I pass a couple of aisles before finding the one I needed. I scan the different sizes and grab the one that seemed the most accurate. I quickly jog back and find that most of my things had been bagged. 

        "Ok good," I state as I drop the box onto the belt. I look up to find Derek scowling at me and I couldn't help but grin in return. "What?" 

        "Really?" he asks as he motions to the basketball being bagged.

        "Thought it would be good for you to have something other than reading, and cleaning, and working out." I answer as I pay for everything. Derek just rolls his eyes and starts to walk away from me. I shake my head at his behavior and once again am forced to go after him. "Come on! What did I do now?" 

 

Riverview Park

        Reluctantly, after putting the groceries away in my apartment which ran on it's own generators, I managed to convince Derek to skip his usual work out at his place and come out to the local park and teach me how to play basketball. We pulled up at the empty court and stepped out. I was slightly excited to see how this would turn out but the look on Derek's face made me second guess that. 

        "So how do we do this?" I ask him as I ungracefully started to bounce the ball on the concrete floor. "Are we going to do one on one? Or play a game of HORSE? Or..."

        "You're horrible," Derek comments as he stood in front of me with a bored expression and his arms crossed over his chest. He narrows his eyes at the basketball that was rebounding all over the place. 

        "Well teach me then," I state as I bounce the ball to him. I start to shuffle back with a taunting grin. "Mr. Big-Shot basketball player." 

        Derek narrows his eyes at me as he catches the ball in one hand and dribbles expertly in place.

        "Mr. All-State Champion," I mock as I try to take the ball from him but he quickly switched hands. I try to lunge for it again but barely miss. "Mr. Team Captain... oh wait... you never did get that title did you." 

        That seemed to push him enough to dribble the ball and spin away from me before running down the court and dunking the ball into the net. I look at him as he threw the ball to me which I quickly caught. He slowly jogged up at me with his eyebrow quirked at me in challenge. 

        "Now how did that feel?" I ask him as I picked up on his skill and started to mimic his movements. Derek just shrugged in front of me. 

        "It was alright." 

        "I agree," I tell him as I slowly dribble around him. "I remember you being  _so_ much better." 

        Once again, Derek easily steals the ball under my fingers and starts to dribble down the court once more before taking a shot from the 3-point line. I couldn't help but whistle as the ball went through the net with a loud swoosh. 

        "There he is," I exclaim as he hands me the ball. "MVP Derek Hale." 

        Derek rolls his eyes at me and I start to slowly dribble. 

        "Come on, Der." I tell him as I felt him pressure me from behind. "Teach me those suave moves of yours." 

        I could feel Derek grin against my skin as his hand dropped to my waist. 

        "If you keep dribbling in one place, you won't go nowhere." 

        "Makes sense," I say with a chuckles. "So I should move huh?" 

        "Mhmm," Derek hums. 

        "Ok," I say as I nod at him. I quickly shove my free elbow on his ribs and push him back. I spin around him and take a few steps before taking a jump-shot from the 3-point line. The ball drops through the net and I look at it with interest. I turn to look at Derek who was rubbing the sore spot on his ribs. 

        "That was pretty good," Derek comments as he picks up the rolling ball. "Illegal move, but good nonetheless." 

        "What can I say?" I say with a grin. "I like to play dirty." 

        Derek huffs at that as he dribbled the ball through his legs. I take my position in front of him and attempt to steal the ball from him but knew I would be unable to. 

        "I have a question," I state as we shuffled around the court. Derek looks up at me momentarily before shifting his attention back to the ball in his hand. "Did you use your werewolf abilities on the court?" 

        "What?" Derek exclaims offended. "Of course not."

        I narrow my eyes at him and he quickly looks away. 

        "Ok, maybe a little," Derek responds as he looks up at me. 

        "Ha!" I shout victoriously as I swipe the ball away from him and tuck it into my chest. "I knew it."

        "I only did it when we were losing by just a few points," Derek confesses as I step away with the ball in my hands. "And you're traveling. That's not legal." 

        "Neither is using your werewolf powers in a losing game," I say as I continue to step away without dribbling. Derek just scowls at me as he tried to pry the ball out of my hands. 

        "Well you can blame your brother for me slightly cheating," Derek tells me as he manages to slip the ball out of my hands. "He was constantly handing the ball to the other team." 

        I couldn't help but chuckle as I recalled my brother and his time in the basketball team. 

        "Yeah," I say after a while. "Can't blame you there. Besides, I'm sure Scott and Isaac are doing the same thing when they play lacrosse." 

        "See, I'm not the only one who does it," Derek states as he takes another shot that goes in. I watched as he jogged after the ball and dribbled around a while more. It looked like he had never retired as he dribbled with a level of elegance and professionalism. He looked completely at ease as the ball slipped from his fingers, through his legs, and then return to his other hand.

        I couldn't help but smile as he took another shot and jogged after that ball too. I start to step away from the court and take a seat on the bench nearby. Derek glances over at me and pauses in his dribbling but I nod at him to continue. 

        "I've never been much of a player," I tell him. "I do enjoy watching you play though."  

        This seems to ease him enough as he starts to dribble again and takes a couple of more shots. I lean back on the bench and couldn't help but see the younger version of himself making his way through the court. The smile on his face was one of the rare ones and I was glad I could give that piece of himself back. 

 

_Derek's Loft_

        Derek played for an hour or so before he convinced himself that I must have been bored out of my mind. I rolled my eyes as he offered to teach me how to play basketball well. Apparently I was subpar to his werewolf expectations and I had to restrain myself from punching him when I heard that. He just chuckled and started to coach me through the motions. That took up most of the day and Derek was forced to stop as the sun started to settle down. 

        We start to make our way to the car and I distantly notice the kids walking by in costumes. I then take notice of the decorations on all of the houses and I couldn't help but gasp in the sudden realization. 

        "What day is it?" I ask Derek as he slipped inside the car. 

        "It's Tuesday," Derek answers as he turns the car on. 

        "No," I state as I pull my phone out and see the date blink out from my screen. "It's Tuesday the 31st of October. Derek, it's Halloween." 

        "So?" Derek asks uncaringly. 

        "It's Halloween," I tell him. "I didn't buy any candy." 

        "Neither did I," Derek answers with a shrug. 

        "But Derek, it's  _Halloween_." I remind him. "We cannot  _not_ have candy. Do you know how many kids are going to be knocking on our door  _expecting_ candy?" 

        "This didn't matter last year," Derek states as he drove out of the neighborhood. 

        "Well I lived in a house in the middle of the woods last year," I explain to him. "Now I live in an apartment building where kids are bound to knock on my door." 

        Derek rolls his eyes but I start to shake his arm in an attempt to grab his attention. 

        "Take me to the nearest store," I tell him. "We need to buy candy." 

        "No, we don't," Derek grits out. "No one's going to come over my loft." 

        "Have you seen your loft?" I ask him as I point out the small convenience store in the next corner. "It looks like a haunted building. Kids from around town will go there tonight." 

        Derek just huffs out in annoyance as he pulls over and parks his car in front of the store. I quickly unbuckle my seatbelt and step out of the car. I was about to head inside but then run back to the car. Derek rolls his window down, a scowl still settled on his face at the stop. 

        "What?" he asks. 

        "Should I get one bag or two?" 

        "Whatever you want, Diana." Derek states with a roll of his eyes. "God forbid we run out before the night is over."

        "Good point," I respond as I step away. "Two bags it is." 

        Derek just huffs at this and I run into the store, which was luckily empty, and grab the two bags. One was an array of chocolates while the other held lollipops. I paid for them and quickly run back to the car. Derek didn't hesitate to peel out of the parking once I stepped back into the car. 

        "Give me a snickers," Derek states as I pulled the bags of candy out of the paper bag. 

        "What?" I ask him confused as I looked down at the candy on my lap. "These are for the children." 

        "Really?" Derek asks as he breathes out through his nose in frustration. 

        "Fine, fine," I tell him with a chuckle as I open the bag of chocolates and start to pick through them. "Here you go, my wolfman." 

        I hand the fun size snickers bar at him and he gladly takes it. I pick through the bag until I find a handful of twix in the middle. I quickly start to eat them and it took me awhile to notice Derek's amused grin at me. 

        "What?" I ask him as I throw the wrappers into the discarded paper bag.

        "I thought the candy was meant for the children."

        "Oh shut up, Mr. Snickers." I state as I pack away the candy at the sight of the loft coming into view. Derek only chuckles beside me as he parks the FJ Cruiser at the back. "Why are you parking it here?" 

        "So it won't get egged by tweens," Derek grits out as he shuts the car off. I couldn't argue with him there, he was definitely right on being paranoid about that. 

        We both step out of the car and I quickly notice Derek become tense after he shuts the door closed. I round the car and had to restrain myself from laughing as Derek glared in front of him. 

        "Trick or treat!"

        "Aww look at that," I say as I step up beside Derek and look down at the three boys in front of us. I nudge Derek's side in hopes he eases the death glare, which he doesn't. "We have a little devil, a pirate, and a vampire. Ooh scary."  

        The three boys just remained frozen and I let out a sigh as Derek continued to give them a hard time.

        "Ok, let's get this over with shall we?" I prompt as I hand Derek the bag of chocolates while I keep the Dum-Dum lollipops. Derek gives each of them a handful and I do the same.

        A second passes by as each kid held their breath. Being impatient, Derek wolfs out on them and lets out a growl. All three kids run out of the street screaming. 

        "I can't believe you just did that." I state unamused as Derek chuckled beside me. "They were just kids." 

        "They were on private property to begin with," Derek argues as he throws the bag of candy back into the car. I just shake my head at him and was about to complain again before I feel a chilling presence behind me. Derek senses it too and we both turn around to find ourselves cornered into the car by five masked figures cloaked in shadows. 

        "What the hell?" I begin to ask, but before Derek and I could do anything I feel a cold sensation wash over my body, a burning behind my ear, and my vision latches onto a bright yellow-green light before fading away into a complete and utter darkness. 

*************

Third POV,  _Derek's Loft_

        Danny walked into the loft after Ethan had stored the furniture away. The whole place was dark and cold which was perfect for a blacklight party. Danny held a flashlight as he opened a nearby book that was written in an unreadable language. He lets the book close and a bit of dust flies out. Other than the light dust, Danny couldn't find anything wrong with the place Aidan and Ethan had recommended his party to be held in. 

        "Where did you say the guy was who lives here?" Danny asks them. 

        "He's out of town," Ethan tells him as he looks out of the window to see his brother flip on the private generator. Aidan looks over to his brother and gives them the thumbs up. Ethan then moves to the switches nearby and flips the light on. Danny looked down at his glowing shirt and couldn't help but smile. 

        "Oh, yeah." 

        Ethan looks over at Aidan and nods at him. The party was a go. 

*****

        The music could be heard from a street away and even though neon lights could be seen once you approached the building. Isaac slowly made his way upstairs while Allison was a few steps behind him. He hesitated to open the door, afraid of what he would find inside, but knew that it was too late now to do anything about it. Without a second to spare, Isaac slides the door and reveals the party inside. 

        The music resonated loudly through the concrete walls surrounding the loft. The lights were all off except for the few black lights causing everything and everyone to glow. A DJ was standing at the front of it all with lights shining around him. There were so many bodies inside this crowded room, so many pheromones and emotions polluting the air that it caused Isaac to easily become overwhelmed by the whole situation in front of him. 

        "Derek can never know about this." Isaac states as Allison catches up to him and sees what he sees. "Actually Derek is the least of my problems, if Diana finds out about this I'm dead. I'm completely and utterly sure she'll send me to an early grave, one that I conveniently dug myself in." 

        Allison couldn't help but agree with him. If either werewolves decided to come back home now, both werewolves who had intense training and a short fuse, they were all screwed. 

        The party, unbeknownst of this, continued on and Ethan made his way through the crowd with two cups of beer in his hand. He reached Danny who was still admiring how everything turned out. 

        "You happy?" Ethan asks over the music.

        "Very," Danny responds with a grin as he takes one of the offered cups from Ethan's hand. 

        "Good," Ethan comments as he motions over a hired painter. "Now it's my time to be happy. This one needs to get painted up."

        "Face or body?" she asks Danny who turns back to Ethan in question. Ethan sets his cup down and without hesitating tears Danny's shirt off.  

        "Body," Ethan answers causing Danny to chuckle.

        "I need ice!" the bartender shouts from across the room. Danny turns to Ethan who simply patted his shoulder to ease him. "I got it."

        Danny nods in gratitude at this and the painter begins to work on him. Ethan moves away from the party and heads towards the storage room down the hall.

        Ethan flips the light switch on and opens up the fridge to pull out the bags of ice. He throws a couple of bags down on the ground before the light slowly begins to flicker off. Ethan moves to fix the hanging bulb and it quickly lights up. He picks up the bags, but once again the lights shut off. Ethan sighs and tries to fix it but the light flickers on before turning off again.

        After a while, the light manages to remain on and Ethan finds the room to have grown colder than before. Something snarls beside him and Ethan looks up to find five masked figures surrounding him. Before he could try anything, the figures move in on him and the door is slammed closed. Ethan's screams were covered up by the music coming from inside.

*****

        After a successful heist of deleting the pictures off Kira's phone, Scott convinced her and Stiles to head to the black light party. They walked into the dancing crowd and were amazed at the quick work done in Derek's loft. Stiles and Scott shared a look conveying how they would all be dead if Derek caught word of this. Pushing that thought aside, Stiles brought up an issue that had been bothering him all day. 

        "It just showed up there on my key ring this morning." Stiles shouts to Scott over the music. Scott nods to motion that he was listening to him about this mysterious key that appeared out of nowhere. "I asked my dad if he put it there but he said he didn't know anything about it."

        "It's just a key, right?" Scott asks him finding no issue there.

        "Yeah, but it's not mine." Stiles tells him. "And I don't know how it got there or what it's for."

        "You want to leave so we can figure it out?" Scott asks him knowing that Stiles wouldn't get so agitated over something so simple if he didn't have a good enough reason. Stiles opens his mouth to respond but is distracted as a girl with a bright orange wig appears and kisses him on the cheek. 

        "Uh..."

        "Happy Halloween!" the girl calls out as she disappears through the crowd. Stiles is left behind speechless and Scott could only grin at his friend. 

        "It can wait," Stiles states as he pats Scott's chest as he starts to search for the mystery. "It can wait."

        Scott watches him go before his attention is shifted by being shoved. He turns around and finds Kira starting to stray away as people kept on bumping into them. His hand instinctively reaches over to her and he pulls her back to him, their hands linked together. Kira couldn't hide her smile and she leaned up on her toes and spoke into his ear. 

        "Thanks," she says quietly.

        Scott leans down unable to hear her right with the loud music.

        "What?" Scott asks her. 

        "Thanks!" Kira says more loudly. Scott smiled at this and looked at her in question, "For what?"  

        "For everything." Kira responds. 

        Scott smiled at her and unknowingly squeezes her hand tighter. Kira smiled in return before she sees Scott's attention fade away. Her smile slowly falters as she takes notice of the other girl, Allison, watching him from afar as well. They both seem to watch each other with some sort of longing and Kira thought it best to pull her hand away from his. 

        Scott watched Allison before offering her a smile in greeting. Allison did the same and tilted the cup of beer in her hand up to him in hello. For once, Scott didn't feel his chest hurting and he smiled at the thought that he could really move on from her. The thought slips away as someone pushes past him roughly and he looks up to find that Kira was no longer beside him. He panics at the thought of losing her to a constantly moving crowd. 

        It was a risk, but it was one he had to take. His eyes shift to red as he scans the bodies around him in search of Kira. His eyes scan the whole room slowly before it stops at Kira. The picture didn't do any justice to outline the energy surrounding her. Like he thought before, the gold aura embodied her in an armour but with the exception that it held a more primitive form, a fox. 

        Scott was amazed at the sight of it. He hadn't seen anything like this. After one more shove, Scott shifts his eyes back to normal and makes his way towards Kira. She looked uncomfortable with the half-nude bodies and the music. Scott offered her an escape and she gladly took it. 

        He led her up to the roof and Kira sighed in relief to be out of the loud crowd. She took in the fresh air gladly and so did Scott. They moved to sit down and Kira couldn't help but giggle as she caught sight of some luminescent paint spread on his cheek. 

        "You got some paint on you," Kira tells him as she points at his cheek. Scott chuckles and tries his best to clean it off. Kira giggles again as he failed to do so. "Still there."

        Scott starts to wipe again, but Kira saw him completely miss the spot. 

        "Ah, let me." Kira tells him as she smiled. She licked her thumb and easily wiped the paint of his cheek. Scott had to restrain himself from laughing. 

        "Oh, my God! I can't believe you just mommed me," Scott tells her. 

        "I did not mom you," Kira argues with a smile. 

        "You totally mommed me." Scott states causing Kira to laugh.

        "Okay, I might have slightly mommed you." Kira gives in. Scott and her stare at each other before she breaks it away. Kira took a deep breath as she looked down at her hands. "How are you so okay with all of this? I showed you a picture that would send anybody else running the other way."

        Scott knew he had his reasons, but he didn't want to overwhelm her with his own problems. 

        "It didn't look that bad to me." Scott tells her honestly. 

        "I look like a demon from hell," Kira sighs out.

        "I guess I saw something different." Scott responds trying to ease her into whatever she was. 

        "What did you see?" Kira asks curiously.

        "It kind of looks like it's, uh, protecting you." Scott finds himself telling her. "Kind of like armor. And it doesn't look like a demon to me."

        "What do you think it looks like?"

        "It looks like a fox." 

*****

        Allison and Isaac danced close to one another with each beat of the music their bodies drew together. Allison raked her fingers through his hair and she felt something stand out as her fingers felt something on the skin of his neck. She paused and took a step back from him with a concerned expression on her face. 

        "What?" Isaac asked her. "What's wrong?"

        Allison felt the area again finding some sort of scar etched on the back of his ear. 

        "There's something on your head." Allison tells him. "Behind your ear."

        Isaac touches the same spot that Allison had felt through and feels the same scar. He looks at Allison in concern knowing well enough that he never had a scar in that area. 

        Instantly, Allison pulls him out of the party and leads him down the hall to the nearby supply closet. By luck there was a mirror there and Allison leads him there. 

        "Turn to the mirror. Turn to the mirror." Allison instructs as she shifts his head to the side to reveal the engraving behind his ear. "You see that?"

        Isaac looked at the black scar and pondered how it got there. 

        "What is that?" Isaac asks her. 

        "Looks like a number five," Allison responds. 

        Isaac was confused at this but his thoughts are disrupted as he hears a quiet groan nearby. He almost thinks he imagined it but it happens again. 

        "Did you hear that?" 

        Allison looks at him curiously before she hears the groaning herself. Isaac pushes her behind him as he walked closer to the cooler. He looks over to find a groaning and shivering Ethan. Isaac and Allison were quick to come to his aid and they noticed the same symptoms that Isaac had shown the night prior. Just like the other night, Isaac knew what he had to do. 

        "What are you doing?" Allison asks him as Isaac takes up Ethan's arm through both hands. 

        "It'll trigger the healing," Isaac tells her before snapping the bone. Ethan instantly reacts, eyes glowing blue, and letting out a loud growl that echoied through the room. 

        As this occurred, Danny and Aidan find Lydia in the same condition out on the balcony. She was shivering and her teeth chattered as she tried to speak through her haze. Aidan moved Lydia towards a heating vent and sent Danny to fetch a blanket. 

        "Lydia?" he asks her as he wrapped his arms around her to help her warm up. Lydia desperately clung to his arms. The fear in her eyes was enough to make Aidan question whether he wanted to know what happened to her.

        "Th-They ca... came out of the dark." 

        Ethan was weakened by whatever happened to him that it made it easy for Allison to shift his head to the side. Right behind his ear was a black scar in the shape of a 5. 

        "It's the same," she tells Isaac. "Exactly the same." 

*****

       Derek breaks out of the darkness, his hands shaking slightly as the coldness seeped out of his bones. He wasn't at his full strength and he looked over to find a bag of candy scattered across the floor. His eyes then finds Diana's body which is shaking slightly as her hands clutched her skin tightly.

        Derek quickly scrambles to her side and pulls her towards him. Her hands clutched his shirt as her eyes flickered up to his in faint recognition. Derek takes her in, his hands caressing her face before lacing his fingers into her hair and pulling her head forward. His forehead touches hers and she continued to shiver against his warmth. Her teeth chattered audibly and Derek grew worried as to what he had to do. Derek then takes notice of a new black outline peering behind her ear and his resolve crumbles. 

        Derek places a chaste kiss on her lips before tugging her hand off his shirt. He holds the delicate wrist into his hands, caressing the soft skin. Derek places his chin on the top of her head and twists strongly. 

        Diana lets out a loud howl of pain, her eyes glowing yellow as claws dug into Derek's chest. Derek lets out his own howl, one of warning, to let the others know of the troubles to come. In the distance, Scott hears it.

        Diana lets out a low growl as she regains part of her strength. Her eyes flicker to Derek's face and she takes notice of the black outline behind his ear. Her fingers graze over it and an anger bursts through her. She hated that they were both caught off guard and were now marked with who knows what. 

        Derek rose to his feet and pulled Diana up. Both knew what they had to do next and without a word they both made their way upstairs to the loft. 

*************

Diana's POV,  _Derek's Loft_

        Every step he took seemed like it would cause the whole building to shake. He was pissed and he had the right to be. I was just as pissed as he was. Perhaps a little less since it was his loft that had been broken into and was the prime location of some rave. Either way, we both were already on edge after the attack and it was easy to tick us off. 

        Derek shoved his way through the crowd creating a pathway that I could easily walk through. His scowl was set in place as he made his way towards the booth at the front. I was right behind him, scanning the room for any sign of the boys but find none. Derek had his claws set on ending this party, while I was waiting to latch onto one of the boys to give them a piece of my mind. 

        "Bro, sorry," the bouncer states as he stops Derek from approaching the booth. "The Bloody Beetroot doesn't take requests."

        Derek doesn't pay his warning any mind and tries to approach the booth again, but the bouncer lays a hand on his chest and shoves him back. 

        "Bro, seriously. I said the DJ doesn't take..."

        Derek didn't hesitate to choke the bouncer, "He'll take mine."

        With ease, Derek tosses the large man aside and I step over him as I continue to follow after Derek. I would have been concerned for the poor man who got in our way, but I had bigger things on my mind. Derek walks up to the booth and smiles at the DJ before grabbing onto the set-up and flipping it over. The crash gets everyone's attention as silence fills the entire loft. Derek scans the crowd with a tight jaw and everyone seems to be scrutinized by his gaze. 

        " _Get out!"_

No one hesitates to question him and they all scramble out of the door. I slowly look over at the DJ who was still standing on the stage. 

        "That means you too!" I shout. 

        The man doesn't hesitate to jump off stage and head out of the doors with the last of the crowd. As the crowd dispersed, the masked men appear at different locations in the loft. Isaac and Allison appear running in with Ethan on their shoulders, Scott and some girl come down the stairs, while Aidan shoves Lydia into Danny's arms telling them to take off. 

        Once everyone was gone, the masked men simultaneously shift their position to face Aidan who was standing at a remote corner of the room. 

        "Guys, they're all looking at me." Aidan says worriedly. "Why are they all looking at me?"

        The masked men take a step towards him, slowly caging Aidan in. I glance over at Derek before my eyes land on Scott. _Was he worth saving? Was a past enemy worth the incoming fight?_ Scott seems to debate these same questions in his mind as the masked figures continue to take a step towards Aidan.

        "Guys?" Aidan calls out worriedly.

        A decision is quickly made as Scott takes the first step and swings at one of the masked figures. On instinct, Derek and I move forward, in need of some sort of reprieve from the previous attack. I immediately go on the offense but the masked figure flips through the air with grace. I attempt to sweep under their feet but they jump over me and instead they land a kick on my back sending me sliding forward on the floor. 

        I growl and let my claws and eyes glow. Ever since I became a beta it was easier to control this part of myself. I quickly swing my claws, but they slip through them like air. Without hesitation I take a leap in the air with the intention to wrap my legs around the masked figures neck and swinging around to send them crashing onto the floor, but none of this happens. Instead the masked figure grabs my body in mid-air and slams me harshly into the ground. 

        I attempt to stand but I could feel my cracked ribs attempt to heal and I'm forced back down to the ground in pain. I look up to find Derek and Scott still in the fight. Scott fighting two of them off at the same time while Derek snaps the neck of one of them. I sigh in relief as he moves to the next one but the masked figure seems to snap it's neck back in place. 

        "Derek!" I shout in warning, but I'm too late. Derek realizes what I just saw and the figure is quick to grab him and send him crashing into the column nearby.

        Scott continues to fend them off as much as he can, but with one hit to his chest the masked figures send him flying across the room and into the nearby wall. I didn't know what they were, but they were quick and strong and dangerous. They weren't human, but they weren't like us either. They were a different danger altogether. 

        One of my arms was shielding my bruised ribs while the other pushed me off the floor. I watched as Isaac stepped away from Allison and extended his claws with the intent to fight. The masked figures take notice of his decision and one of them turns around. From the shadows of its chest, it pulls out a straight sword that was similar to a katana sword. The creature spins it and maneuvers it with expertise and I freeze at the sight of this. 

        "Don't," I warn Isaac at the deadly skill the figure portrayed. It was completely unnatural. Not even years of training could lead anyone to possess that kind of skill. Isaac heeds my warning and detracts his claws before taking a step back. 

        The masked figures, with no more obstacles to overcome, make their way to Aidan. Two hold him by the arms while two guarded the one who approached him. It places its gloved hand on the base of Aidan's neck and pulls him forward. A green light emits from its eyes and Aidan falls into a trance. Just as quickly as it started, it ends. The masked figure swipes something under Aidan's ear before letting his body drop onto the floor. 

        They all simultaneously turn and we all look to find the direction it was facing. Scott was the center of their attention now and I force myself through the pain and stand up. There was no way I was going to let these things get close to him. Scott partially shifts as well but before anything could happen, the sun rises. As the sun's rays spread through the whole loft the figures disintegrated into nothing. Like there were never there to begin with.

        "What the hell were those things?" I exclaim as I pull Derek off from the floor. "What the hell did you guys do this time?" 

        No one responded but I could distantly hear Isaac whisper to Allison beside her. 

        " _Your dad's 24 hours are up."_

        I instantly snap towards them to find Allison nervously looking at the rest of us. It didn't help that most of the night I had been in a freezing comatose state. It didn't help that a rave occurred in the midst of that. It also didn't help that our first full day home was not void of violence. I was tired, hurt, and annoyed that it was just the icing on the cake to know that the Argents could be behind this whole thing. 

        "What the hell did your father do?" I ask as I look at the frightened teenage hunter. "What the hell did he do?"


	17. Silverfinger

        Scott promised us an explanation as long as we allowed Allison to figure out what was going on. Having no other choice but to agree, I watch Scott walk out of the loft after Allison and Isaac. Derek's scowl was still settled on his face as he looked over the recovering twins.

        "You two are staying and cleaning this up," Derek orders before grabbing my hand and leading us away. I let him drag me out of the loft before I tug my hand away. 

        "I'm going to head back to my apartment," I tell him as I brushed my hair aside. "You're more than welcome to join me." 

        It was obvious from his expression what his answer was and so he motioned me to get inside the car before driving off. Derek was silent which was normal for him except that I could see the cogs turning inside his head. He was thinking over something and was keeping it to himself. 

        I couldn't blame him for shutting down on me. I was being the same way as I thought over the masked figures we endured last night. My fingers find themselves tracing the tattoo-like marking behind my ear and I sigh. I think back to what had occurred just a few minutes ago. 

        The obvious thing was that they weren't human. The way they appeared and moved wasn't normal by any standards. They had one goal set in mind and if anyone attempted to derail them of that plan they reacted,  _violently_. The sunlight seemed to be their only weakness but it wasn't one we could employ at night when they were bound to come back. Besides that one weakness, I couldn't find anything else that could be used against them. 

        Derek parks his car into the garage but I remain seated there and I turn to look at him with concern. 

        "I'm worried," I find myself telling him. "Those things..." 

        Derek nods understanding where I was coming from. 

        "What did we get ourselves into now?" 

        Derek is silent as his green eyes pierced through mine. 

        "I don't know," he sighs out. "But we'll figure it out. We always do." 

        Without another word, Derek steps out of the car and I have no other choice but to follow him. The way up to my apartment was spent in silence and I could feel Derek's arm brush against mine as we walked through the halls. I pull out my keys and unlock the door allowing him in. I shrug off my jacket and throw it onto the coat rack before kicking off my shoes. 

        "My room is immediately upstairs." I tell Derek as I make my way into the kitchen. "You can go up and freshen up if you want to." 

        "What will you be doing?" Derek asks as he turns to look at me. 

        "I'll be making breakfast for when the boys get here," I tell him as I open the cabinets and pull out the pancake mix. "It'll be ready in twenty minutes so you can go ahead and take a break before they get here." 

        I hear Derek walk away and I assumed he took my offer and headed upstairs to rest. I spent the next few minutes cooking and setting up the counter for whenever the boys got back. It didn't take long to hear the knock come from the door before it slowly opened. 

        "I came as soon as I could," Scott states as he made his way in. "I also seemed to have brought company." 

        I look up to find Aidan and Ethan trailing after him and looking over my place. I narrowed my eyes at them before turning to Scott. 

        "And they're here because...?" 

        "They're keeping an eye on me," Scott sighs out as he takes a seat. 

        "All day," Ethan states. 

        "All night," Aidan pipes in. 

        I ignore Scott's sigh as I motion for the twins to go ahead and take a seat. 

        "Where's Stiles or most importantly Isaac?" 

        "I haven't seen Stiles since last night," Scott tells me. "As for Isaac, he was afraid that you'll kill him after being at the party last night so he stayed at Argent's and is helping him out on something." 

        I huff annoyed at this before I motion for them to dig in for the breakfast. Before I could call him, Derek appears downstairs, his hair wet from a recent shower. Derek tugs his shirt down as he took a seat next to me. It was fairly obvious that the boys were caught off guard by this. 

        "So you and Derek are..." Scott questions lightly. 

        "He's only here until his apartment is cleaned by the rave from last night," I answer Scott as Derek glared at the twins. I set a cup of coffee next to him and he eagerly takes it. "So, what do you have for us Scott? What did Chris tell you?" 

        "Chris has dealt with them before," Scott explains to me. "Apparently his first gun deal was with a kumicho, a yakuza boss. They materialized right as the sun went down and it went right after the kumicho. Anyone who got in it's way was cut down. They didn't even bother to mark them like they did you guys, it just killed him." 

        "Why?" I ask him. 

        "I don't know," Scott says with a shrug. "He wasn't human that's for sure so Chris tried to track down someone who was there that night. He got pretty beat up because of it."

        "Who's the guy?" I ask concerned. If someone could injure a highly trained hunter like Chris, then he was someone that no regular teenager should face, werewolf or not. 

        "Some guy named Katashi," Scott says with a shrug. "Otherwise known as..."

        "Silverfinger," I answer as I recalled the title. 

        "Yeah, how'd you know?" Scott asks curiously. 

        "When you are raised to be a hunter by the Calaveras, you know everyone," I state a bit grimly. "We have contacts all around the world. It's what makes my family dangerous." 

        The table turns silent after that and all could be heard was the scrapping of the utensils onto the plate.  

        "So Argent faced these things and survived," I state trying to get the conversation back. "How'd he do it?" 

        "He shot one of them in the face and the mask broke," Scott states. "It didn't kill it but it slowed them down enough for him to make an escape." 

        "What was behind the mask?" Derek asks beside me. 

        "Darkness," Scott simply answers. 

        "Well that sound completely ominous," Aidan comments as he chewed on a piece of bacon. Derek raised his eyes at him with a piercing glare in his direction. 

        "What are you guys even doing here?" Derek asks annoyed. 

        "They're keeping an eye on me," Scott sighs out again. "I'm sure it also has to do with them wanting to be in my pack." 

        Derek huffs out a dry laugh before he takes a drink of his coffee. Aidan and Ethan ignore that when they turn to look at Scott who was seated in between them. 

        "This is about you being the target of demonic ninjas," Aidan reasons with him. 

        "You mean the demonic ninjas that pulled swords out of their chests and completely kicked our asses?" Ethan prompts to Aidan. 

        "Yeah," Aidan answers. "Those demonic ninjas."

        Scott sighs once more and I couldn't be any more glad to not have to live up to the title of Alpha anymore. 

        "I don't need anyone to protect me." 

        "They were looking right at you when the sun came up," Ethan states. 

        "And they also disappeared." Scott reminds them. "Argent thinks that they could just come out at night." 

        "Since this is our first experience with demonic ninjas, we're thinking we should play it safe." Ethan responds. 

        "All day," Aidan states again. 

        "And all night," Scott sighs out as he gives into their reasons. It's not like he would be able to escape them in the next couple of hours. Scott stacks up their empty plates and offers me a small smile. "Thanks for breakfast, Diana. I should probably head home and get ready for class." 

        "We'll follow you out," Ethan states before looking over at me. "Thanks for the food." 

        "You're welcome?" I answer unsurely as Scott and the twins head out. "I think..." 

        Derek huffs out in amusement as he picked up our plates and placed them into the sink. I shake my head at the morning I had just gone through. I stretch my arms up enjoying the popping of my lower back and the pull of my muscles. It had been a long night and though I would enjoy going to bed I had a long day to go through. 

        "As much as I hate this, I'm going to head in for work today," I tell Derek as I press a kiss on his cheek before making my way upstairs. He follows after me with a scowl on his face. 

        "You haven't slept all night," Derek states. "You should stay in and rest." 

        "I can't," I answer as I hide a yawn behind the back of my hand. "The twins were right about how those things looked at Scott before they disappeared. He's their next target and I need to be there when they come." 

        [Derek didn't argue with that as I got an outfit ready and headed to the bathroom for a shower.](https://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=226025680) I quickly washed away my tiredness and got ready. I stepped out to find Derek laid out on my bed, one arm crossed over his eyes, his legs dangling at the edge of the bed. As he heard me pack up my bag, he sits up. 

        "You ready to go?" Derek asks me as he rubbed the tiredness from his eyes. 

        "Yeah, I am," I answer as I throw the strap of my bag over my shoulder. "What are you..." 

        "I'm dropping you off at work," Derek answers as he grabs his keys and starts to make his way downstairs. I follow after him sensing he wasn't doing this to be the perfect boyfriend. 

        "But why?" I ask him as we make our way out of my apartment. 

        "Don't ask questions," Derek growls out as he makes his way down the stairs. I only shake my head at him as I lock the front door of my apartment and follow after him. 

*************

        Derek parked his car in the furthest lane of the parking lot. I turned to glare at him but he had an impasse expression on his face that told me he wasn't going to move from his spot. I let out a sigh as I grabbed my bag and my school I.D. I lean over the gear shift and press a kiss on his cheek. 

        "I'll see you after work," I state as I unbuckle my seatbelt and open the car door. 

        Derek glances over at me before turning his focus to the front entrance of the school. 

        "I'll be here if you need me." 

        I couldn't help but chuckle as I closed the door behind me. I leaned over the open window and offered Derek a small smile. 

        "If you get bored of watching the school from afar, you are more than welcome to come join me and patrol it from inside." 

        Derek rolls his eyes at me and remains seated in his position. I knew he wouldn't move from his spot until the school day was over. I let out a sigh and set the strap of my sport bag over my shoulder. 

        "Suit yourself," I mutter as I make my way through the parking lot and towards the front entrance. I quickly stopped by the office to clue them in on my early return before going on my search for Scott and Stiles. 

        I didn't find any of them but I did catch sight of Aidan and Ethan standing guard in front of the chemistry lab. I slowly walk towards them and stop in front of them. 

        "Are Scott and Stiles through there?" I ask them as I point towards the door. 

        "Yup," Aidan answers. "Scott ordered us that he wanted to speak to Stiles alone about the shadow ninjas so we..." 

        I ignore the rest of his sentence as I open the door and walk in. I hear Ethan and Aidan yell at me not to but I simply closed the door behind me ending any further disputes. I look up to find Stiles and Scott staring at me in question. 

        "Hello again," I greet as I walk over to them. "So what's this super secret meeting about?" 

        "You're back," Stiles points out as he turns to look at Scott. "You didn't tell me she was back." 

        "I wanted to hear out what you had to say first," Scott says as he scratched the back of his head. "You know with the whole key thing and all..." 

        "What key?" I ask confused. 

        "You missed a lot," Stiles states tiredly. "We had some real-life fugitive, Barrow, escape in the most supernatural way possible and he was sent to kill Kira." 

        "Who's Kira?" 

        "She's the girl with me at the party," Scott explains to me. 

        I slowly nod as I vaguely recalled the girl. "Ok so what else..." 

        "Like I was saying," Stiles quickly interrupts. "This other girl I was talking to at the party starts talking about phosphors and the key having chemicals on it, right? And so that made me think of the chemistry closet and the fact that someone had to let Barrow in..."

        Stiles looks up at the blackboard and frowns. 

        "It's gone," Stiles states. "The message for Barrow is gone."  

        Stiles shakes his head away from that and pulls out a set of keys from his pocket.

        "Okay, it doesn't matter though. It doesn't matter. I've still got the key." Stiles mumbles as he runs towards the locked chemistry closet. His fingers search through the keychain and he frowns once more. "What the hell? I had it I had it here. I had it here this morning. I swear to God, I had it this morning." 

        "The key you were talking about last night?" Scott asks concerned.

        "Yeah, I showed it to you, right?" Stiles asks him desperately. "Didn't I show it to you?" 

        "No, you just told me about it," Scott tells him. "I never actually saw it." 

        Stiles breathes heavily as he slowly walks back to the blackboard. I step back from his path and take notice of his hands slightly shaking. 

        "I was here a couple of hours ago," Stiles tells us. "And the message left to Barrow spelling Kira's name was right there on the board in my handwriting and I had the key to the chemistry closet." 

        "So you unlocked the chemistry closet so Barrow could hide in it from the cops and then you wrote him a message to kill Kira?" I ask as I tried to decipher what Stiles was trying to say. 

        "I know...I know...I know how it sounds... But look at this," Stiles stutters out as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a newspaper clip. I take the sheet from his hand and unfold it. Scott peers over my shoulder and reads the headline. "This is the news report that came out about Barrow when they caught him, okay? About the shrapnel bomb that he used."

        Stiles points down at the second paragraph and we quickly read over it. 

        "See this? See what he did?" Stiles asks us. "He put nuts, bolts and screws. And then he hid the bomb and the detonator in a box that he wrapped as a birthday present. What does that sound like to you?" 

        "Coach," Scott whispers beside me causing me to look up at them in question. "The joke we played on Coach."

        "That was my idea. You remember?" Stiles insisted. "That was my idea. That's no coincidence. It can't be." 

        "I don't want to sound like I'm trying to tell you that you're wrong," Scott starts to say, "But I don't think you're trying to kill people either." 

        "It was here," Stiles mumbles as his trembling hand crumpled the newspaper clipping. His eyes flickered up to the empty blackboard as if he was trying to will something to reveal itself. "It was all here." 

        I grew concerned at his pale expression and the dark bags under his eyes. 

        "Stiles," I call out to him and his face instantly turns at my voice. "Are you feeling okay? You look really tired." 

        "Yeah, I'm fine," Stiles answers with a shrug. "I just haven't been sleeping really." 

        I look over at Scott who seemed concerned as well over his friend. 

        "Why don't you go home, huh?" I ask him. "Take a sick day or something.Maybe get checked up by your doctor." 

        "Yeah..." Stiles mumbles out. "Yeah, I'll go do that." 

        I massage his shoulder a bit and offer him a small smile. Out of nowhere, Stiles pulls me into a tight hug and I could feel how stiff his body was. I tense at the contact but soon react and pat him awkwardly on the back. 

        "I'm glad you're back," Stiles mumbles in my ear before pulling away. I offer Stiles a sympathetic smile and let him go. 

        "Take care of yourself, ok?" I offer up to him worriedly. Stiles nods at this and slowly makes his way out of the room. Scott and I share of look of concern before walking out of the room. Once we stepped out onto the hallway we were surrounded by the twins. 

        "Did you tell him?" Ethan asks referring to the attack from last night. 

        "No," Scott answers. "He's got enough on his mind right now." 

        "If they're coming for you in a few hours then so do you," Aidan reminds him. 

        "What if it's not me? Okay?" Scott bursts out. "What if I'm not the one they want?"

        "Who else is there beside you?" I ask Scott. 

        Scott just sighs and turns away from all of us. He seemed stressed enough as it is but I could easily see how his body tensed at the question. Without another word, Scott disappears into his next class and the twins quickly follow after him. I was left on my own in the hall as I tried to figure out why Scott seemed so shaken up all of a sudden. 

*************

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills Hospital_

        Stiles leaned over the counter as Melissa clicked through the software in search of the pediatrician. After a few minutes, Melissa finds his profile and takes notice of his current status. He had filled a week of vacation and wasn't going to be back any time soon. Melissa looked up at a distracted Stiles and told him what she found. 

        "Dr. Gardner's not back until next week. Do you want to try waiting for one of the urgent care doctors or..."

        Stiles starts to stumble back and Melissa is quick to stand from her seat and move over to him. 

        "Stiles," she calls out to him as she reaches for him to keep him steady. "Are you alright?" 

        "I-I don't know," Stiles responds shakily as his eyes shuddered closed. "I guess... I guess not really." 

        "Alright, kiddo," Melissa calmly tells him as she leads him out of the waiting room and towards a secluded room. "Alright, come with me. It's okay." 

        Melissa helps him take a seat on the bed and she does the routine check-up. Stiles removes his hoodie as Melissa checked his blood pressure and finding it to be a little too low. Once she had taken his temperature and checked his heartbeat, she let him settle down and moved onto the paperwork. 

        "Tell me what you've been experiencing," Melissa tells him as she picks out a pen from her front pocket. 

        "Blackouts, but not for that long." Stiles tells her. "And sleepwalking, which I used to do a lot as a kid. Um... Also having some really bad anxiety."

        "Panic attacks?" 

        "Yeah, a couple." Stiles tells her. "Oh, and I temporarily lost the ability to read but that might have had more to do with this giant magic tree and a whole human sacrifice thing." 

        Melissa chuckles at this and nods. 

        "I recall something vaguely about that, yes." Melissa responds. "How many hours of sleep are you getting?" 

        "Eight," Stiles quickly answers. 

        "A night?" Melissa asks for clarification.

        "In the last three days."

        Melissa looks at him in concern and Stiles sheepishly looks down. He starts to count down the slept hours on his fingers that shook slightly.

        "Yeah, definitely eight."

        "Been feeling irritable?" Melissa asks him as she left the paperwork behind and moved to grab sterile gloves. 

        "Yeah," Stiles doesn't hesitate to answer. "Possibly to the point of homicide." 

        "Inability to focus?" 

        "No, the Adderall's not working."

        "Impulsive behavior?" Melissa asks as she pulls open a cabinet and pulls out a plastic container. 

        "More than my usual?" Stiles prompts. "Hard to tell." 

        "Vivid dreams during the day?" Melissa asks next. 

        "Okay, basically all of the above." Stiles answers distressingly. "Do you know what this is?"

        Melissa walks over to him and opens the package up. 

        "I think so," Melissa tells him as she pulls wipes down Stiles' arm with disinfectant before pulling out the shot. 

        "Uh, what's that?" Stiles asks nervously. 

        "Do you trust me?" Melissa answers with instead. 

        "When you're not holding a needle." Stiles responds as he flinches when the shot is given. Melissa chuckles at his answer and throws away the shot and pulls off her gloves. 

        "It's Midazolam." Melissa tells him. "A sedative." 

        "Why'd you give me a sedative?" Stiles asks confused as Melissa fixed the pillows on the bed. 

        "Because you, Stiles, are one profoundly sleep-deprived young man." Melissa answers as she grabs him by the shoulders. "You need rest and you need it now. Lie down." 

        Stiles doesn't fight with her as she slowly pushes Stiles to lay down.

        "Okay, how long's it take to... Oh." Stiles mumbles as he felt a strong drowsiness hit him. "Not long at all." 

        "Get some rest," Melissa whispers to him as she tucked him into the bed. 

        Stiles' eyes slip closed as Melissa flipped the switch off from the nearby lamp. 

        "Thanks, Mom," Stiles mumbles in the midst of the darkness. Melissa pauses at the title but said nothing as the boy fell quickly into a deep sleep. 

*************

Diana's POV,  _Beacon Hills High School_

I stepped out of the school a few minutes after the bell had rung. I was caught up with Coach Finstock who had the decency to give me a long speech about my impromptu vacation and how if it wasn't for my state-wide track record I would have been fired ages ago. I managed to slip away from him when he turned his back to yell at Greenberg and so here I was now in the parking lot finding Scott's bike gone and the twins struggling to get theirs to work. 

        "You guys had one job," I state as I stood in front of them with my hands resting on my hip. They both look up at me with an annoyed expression on their faces. "Come on. Follow me." 

        I step in between their parked bikes and make my way down the parking lot. In the same spot as before, Derek remained inside his parked FJ cruiser glaring at the sight of me with Aidan and Ethan. I open the passenger door and slip in while the twins took the seats in the back. 

        "Scott left ten minutes ago," Derek tells me as he turned the car on and pulled out of his spot. "He had company." 

        "I have a feeling he's hiding something from us," I tell Derek as he takes a wild guess and makes his way towards Scott's house. Derek glances over at me with a look of disbelief. 

        "Why would Scott keep a secret from us?" Derek asks me. "It's not like him." 

        "I don't know," I answer with a shrug. "But when it comes to protecting someone, Scott won't betray them. Even if it's for the greater good." 

        "Speaking of experience?" Derek prompts. 

        "Aren't I always?" I respond with a sigh. 

*************

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills Hospital_

Melissa makes her rounds and saves Stiles' room for last. She walks up to his room and cracks the door open slightly to check in on him. As expected, Stiles is still asleep and Melissa is quick to shut the door closed in order to not disturb him. She clicks the door quietly and looks over to his file that was set outside. She pulls it out and starts to review his medical history before a thought brushes across her mind. 

        Melissa flips back to the first page which revealed the symptoms Stiles had told her. She pulls out the highlighter from her front pocket and begins to outline the symptoms that correlated with a past medical case.

        With a sense of dread, Melissa takes his file into the filing room that contained past cases. Her eyes scan over the cabinets before she finds one from a couple of years ago. Her hands flip through a few cases before she finds the one she was searching for. Melissa quickly opens the file and reviews the content inside. 

        " _Patient is irritable, impulsive_ ," Melissa reads out loud. " _Complaints of vivid dreams. Inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality_ , _acute insomnia_."

        Melissa sighs as she realizes that his symptoms paralleled hers. She shuts the file closed and shook her head as she read the label at the front. 

         _Deceased 2004._

Melissa swallowed nervously as her eyes raked upward and found the name of the file. She shook her head as she recalled the kind woman who had suffered so greatly at the end of her life. 

         _Claudia Stilinski._

  
_McCall Residence_

        After locking every door and shutting every open window, Scott was only left to wait for his mom to come back from his shift to set the security system Deaton had designed for them. Kira had helped him without question after seeing last night's revelations of werewolves and other magical beings. Scott still didn't know what she was, but Kira had done her research and had found the answer for both of them. 

        "Have you ever heard of something called a kitsune?" Kira asks him. Scott looked confused at the question which was answer enough for Kira. She pulled out the children's book from her backpack and explained to Scott what she had found out. The page she opens up to reveals an image of lightning sparking everywhere. 

        "That looks like what happened to you at the power station," Scott tells her. 

        "When a kitsune rubs its tails together it can create fire or lighting." Kira explains to him. "It's called foxfire."

        Scott thought over what she said and a question came to mind. Kira could easily tell what it was and answers him before he even had the chance to ask.

        "I don't have any tails." 

        "How'd you know what I was thinking?" Scott asks surprised. 

        "Because kitsune are also psychic." Kira answers quickly with a small quirk on her lips. "I can hear all of your thoughts."

        Scott quickly frowns as he hears this trying very hard to keep his thoughts monitored. Kira laughed at his concerned expression and quickly assures him it's a joke.

        "Just kidding."

        Scott laughs at this in relief and Kira smiles at the sound. She wished their afternoon could continue on like this but the view from the window showed that there wasn't enough time for that. 

        "The sun's setting." 

        "Ah...Yeah, I know." Scott groans out as he takes notice of it. He looks back at her in concern. "Are you scared?" 

        "Not right now," Kira answers before checking her watch. "But I'm supposed to be back before dinner." 

        "Tell them you can't make it," Scott tells her. 

        "What should I say?" Kira asks quietly as Scott kept staring at her with an unreadable expression. His smile grows at the question and a slight blush appears on his cheeks. 

        "Say, uh, you're going on a date." 

        Kira smiled at this, but didn't easily give into the excuse. 

        "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kira asks him. "You know, foxes and wolves don't really get along." 

        Kira looks down at the book in her hands and flips to the page of a fox being surrounded by an angry pack of wolves. Scott takes in the image but ignores it and closes the book shut.

        "That's just a drawing. In a children's book." Scott tells her. He leaned closer to her with every intention to kiss her when he hears a car pulling up into the driveway. "My mom's back."

        Scott stands up and doesn't hesitate to make his way down. He quickly turns into the kitchen just to find his dad setting down his bag onto the kitchen table. The greeting smile on his face disappears at the sight of him. 

        "What are you doing here?" Scott exclaims. "And why do you still have a key?" 

        "Funny you mention keys." Agent McCall responds as he pulls out his laptop from his bag. "Because while I have a key to this house, I'm not exactly sure how you got a key to my office."

        He flips the laptop open and turns it around for Scott and Kira to see. The laptop screen lights up and the first thing to pop up is a security photo taken revealing Scott and Kira. 

  
_Unknown Location_

        While Isaac distracted the men with the false selling of an antique gun, Chris and Allison went ahead and took down Katashi's security one by one. Chris asphyxiates the last of the guards in his side of the warehouse and drops his body as he enters the room that Katashi was currently in. Silverfinger held a gun at him while Chris did the same. 

        "All I want to do is talk." 

        "Taking out my security is not what I would call a good conversation starter," Silverfinger responds as Chris moves a step closer.

        Chris narrows his eyes at the man and sighs, "You don't remember me, do you?"

        Silverfinger doesn't seem to be phased by the question and the distraction was enough for Chris. 

        "Allison, take the man's gun."

        Silverfinger turns towards the other exit and finds the young huntress swinging a metal chain in her hand. With precise aim, the chain is thrown and it wraps around the pistol. Allison tugs it back and the pistol flies out of Katashi's hand. Chris steps up to the table and lowers his gun. 

        "Now, can we talk?" 

        Before Silverfinger could respond, Isaac makes his way into the room with the other two men he was just with. Allison and Chris turn to look at him and find Isaac fully compromised. 

        "Guys?" Isaac calls out worriedly. "They have a werewolf too." 

  
_ McCall Residence _

        "Let me help you out here." Agent McCall states with a scowl. "This kind of thing usually begins with something along the lines of, _It's not what you think, or_ , _I can explain_."

        "Dad, let me help you out." Scott replies as he sees the sun quickly setting down. "You need to leave." 

        "I will," Agent McCall responds in resignation. "With a satisfactory explanation." 

        "Go get a warrant." Scott retorts. 

        Agent McCall sighs and rubs his jaw tiredly. 

        "I don't need a warrant," he tells his son. "I'm your father."

        "No, you're a gene donor." Scott argues instantly. "I got my hair color from you and that's all I got. So you're not allowed to play tough dad with me." 

        At that moment, Melissa walks into the heat of the argument. 

        "Hey, what's going on?" 

        "Maybe one of you should explain," Agent McCall responds as he stared down at his son. 

        Kira had remained silent the whole time knowing it wasn't her place to intervene but as the sun fully set and darkness started to settle around the house, she grew worried of what was to come.

        "Scott..." she calls out to him in worry. 

        Scott looks out the window and takes in account her warning. The sun was gone and any second now they could be attacked. Scott hated himself for getting distracted at a time like this. 

        "Who the hell is this?" Agent McCall asks as he walks past Scott and into the living room.

        Scott turns to see who he was talking about and finds one of the masked creatures standing in the corner of the room. 

        "Dad, no!" Scott shouts as he takes notice of his father pulling out the gun from his case. "Dad, wait... Dad!" 

        Before Scott could warn him, another masked creature appears from behind him and drives the katana into his right shoulder. Agent McCall groans in pain and Kira screams out in surprise. Agent McCall falls to the ground and remains lying there. 

*************

Diana's POV, _McCall Residence_

Derek had parked on the opposite side of the street from Scott's house. We all sat there and waited in silence to see if there was any sign of danger. It wasn't until the sun set that we were all on the edge of our seats and when a scream came from inside, we didn't hesitate in running in. 

        I kick the front door open and Derek is quick to slide in with a growl. I follow after him as I flip my claws out and let myself shift too. Derek is quick to push the masked figure in my direction and I duck under the swing of its katana. 

        "Mom, the ash!" Scott shouts somewhere in the room. 

        I continue to dodge the masked creature's attacks and kept it distracted from reaching Scott. I hear a crash come from further down the house and take notice that Aidan and Ethan had finally stepped into the fight. 

        I roll under the swipe of the sword and kick the masked figure out of the door. I look over and find Scott throwing one of them through a window and Aidan and Ethan do so as well. Dere was struggling with the last one but he manages to catch its raised hand and shoves him through the open door. 

        "Mom, now!" Scott shouts in a hurry. "Do it now!" 

        With urgency, Melissa sprints across the house and throws a ceramic container onto the entrance of their home. A line of mountain ash flies through the house and covers every open exit. Derek helps me up from my position on the floor and we look up to find the masked figure standing in front of the front door unable to get it. 

        I let out a sigh of relief and let my head rest onto the wall behind me. Derek walks over to Scott with his arms crossed in front of his chest as he inspected the house. 

        "All of the baseboards are ash wood?" 

        "Uh, yeah. It was Deaton's idea." Scott answers out of breath before looking up at him. "And where the hell did you come from?" 

        "I've been following you," Derek answers nonchalantly. 

        "For how long?" Scott asks with a lost expression. 

        "All day," Derek states before walking away. Scott was baffled at that revelation and he turned to look at me for an explanation. I simply shrugged and pushed myself off the wall. 

        "Derek's told me of how he spends his day when he's not with us. It was mind-blowingly boring." I told Scott as I patted him on the shoulder. "Trust me, Scott, he was better off today." 

*************

Third POV,  _Unknown Location_

        Chris pulls out a cloth from his bag and unfolds it to reveal the broken silver mask. Silverfinger tenses at the sight of it which was sign enough for Chris to know he remembered that night. 

        "Starting to remember?" Chris asks him anyways. "It was 24 years ago."

        Silverfinger looks up and nods at his werewolf to release Isaac. With a sigh of relief, Isaac stumbles forward and massages the healing wounds around his neck. Chris looks down at Silverfinger who slowly starts to put the mask together.

        "You know what they are, don't you?" Chris asks him. 

        "They're called Oni." Silverfinger answers with a tremble in his voice. "They are demons... and they are unstoppable." 

        Chris refused to believe that, "There has to be something that can stop them." 

        "Nothing." Silverfinger states. "At least no man-made weapon."

        He takes a deep breath before continuing on with his explanation. 

        "The Oni are a force of nature," Silverfinger explains. "You don't fight a tsunami. _You endure it.._. and you hope that you're not destroyed in its path." 

        "Then how do we endure it?" Allison asks. 

        "One of you already has," Silverfinger answers as he walks over to Isaac. He motions to the scar behind Isaac's ear and traced the sign. "This is Japanese kanji for " _self_ ". This means he is still himself." Silverfinger lets Isaac go and walks behind the table again. "The Oni are looking for one who is no longer themselves." 

        "What do you mean no longer themselves?" Chris asks concerned. 

        "Possessed." Silverfinger explains. "By a dark spirit." 

*************

Diana's POV,  _McCall Residence_

        Derek and I make our way into the kitchen after checking that all of the entrances had truly been sealed off with the mountain ash. We walk in just in time to find Kira inspecting the boundary made that kept the masked figures out of the house. Her hand slowly reaches through the air and as she tries to push it past the boundary it only forces her hand back. Kira gasps at the sensation and takes a step back. Aidan, who had seen the whole thing happen, stared at her with a narrowed expression causing Kira to take a stumbling step back. 

        "It's Kira, right?" Aidan asks with an accusing smile. "You going to tell us what you are?" 

        "What?" Kira stutters out as he takes a threatening step forward. "What do you mean?"

        "Aiden!" Ethan shouts in warning but ignoring his brother, Aidan grabs Kira's wrist. "Just watch!"

        Aiden forces Kira's hand through the boundary only for the forcefield to push her back again.

        "See that?" Aidan exclaims. "She can't go through it either. So, what are you?" 

        Having heard enough, Derek steps in. 

        "She's a kitsune, idiot." Derek states as if it was obvious. "Use your eyes. You can see it all around her."

        I let my eyes glow yellow and find that Derek is right. An orange aura surrounded the girl and as she turned to the side I could see the profile of the fox. 

        "The younger ones give off an aura." Derek continues to explain. "She just hasn't learned how to conceal it yet. She probably doesn't know what kind she is either." 

        "Huh," I mumble as I hear this and turn to look at Derek. "How long have you been sitting on that information, Der? All day?"

        Derek glances over at me and simply raises his eyebrows as if the answer was obvious. I roll my eyes at him and make my way to the opposite side of the room. 

        "I guess that means you knew all night too." 

        Derek ignores my tone and explains the rest to us. 

        "There are 13 kinds of kitsune," Derek states. "Celestial, wild, ocean, thunder... and so on. But there is one dark kitsune. They call it void or _nogitsune._ It draws power from pain and tragedy, strife and chaos." 

        "The kumicho..." I mumble as I recalled the story Scott told me before. "He was possessed by a nogitsune."

        Derek nods as if he knew all along and I couldn't help but scoff at him annoyed. I ignored the stares coming from Kira and the twins and turned and walked away. After a few seconds, Derek follows after me into the adjoining room and sighs. 

        "Why are you upset?" Derek asks me. 

        "Because you kept vital information from me," I exclaim in frustration. 

        "So what?" Derek questions. "It wasn't important at the time." 

        "Do you see this?" I motion around the home before pointing out the blood stain on the wooden floor. "An innocent person got hurt and your silence did nothing to help." 

        "Diana..." Derek sighs out dejectedly as he reaches for me, but I step back from his touch. 

        "No," I answer tiredly as I walk past Derek and make my way to the stairs. "Just like your thoughts, why don't you keep your hands to yourself." 

        Derek doesn't try to stop me as I make my way upstairs and I let out a sigh as I stopped in the middle of the hallway and leaned against the wall. I took a deep breath and tried to keep myself together. Hearing the groan coming from one of the rooms, I knew I couldn't sit on my hands any longer and just wait for the storm to pass over. Unlike Derek, I made myself useful and entered Scott's room to help Melissa with stopping the bleeding from the wound in Agent McCall's shoulder. 

*************

Third POV,  _McCall Residence_

        Scott had heard the last bit of Derek's speech concerning kitsunes. It wasn't that hard to see that Kira had been affected by the concept of a dark spirit known as a nogitsune. Scott pulled her away from eavesdropping ears and tried his best to brush away any suspicions she had. 

        "It's not you," Scott tells her. "It can't be. What I saw around you, it didn't look evil." 

        "But isn't that what a shape-shifter does?" Kira argues anxiously. "Isn't that why a kitsune is called the trickster spirit? It's supposed to trick you. How are you so sure? How do you know I'm not the bad guy?" 

        It was hard for Scott to explain to Kira. He was sure, deep in his bones, that Kira was not the nogitsune, but how could he explain that to her when all he had as proof was his gut feeling. 

        "I've seen the bad guys," Scott tells her. "And you're not one of them." 

        Ignoring the conversation occurring in the hallway, Derek let out a sigh as his mind wandered back to Diana's reaction. As usual, she ran away from him when things became too rough and she was currently hiding from him upstairs. Derek knew this wasn't the time to think of his mistakes and instead watched the masked figures staring directly at them, unmoving, standing directly outside of the mountain ash boarder. 

        "I wasn't going to hurt her," Aidan tells Derek after a while. 

        "Not yet," Derek responds stiffly. 

        "Why do you think we're here, Derek? For a study group?" Aidan argues with a shake of his head. "We're here to protect Scott." 

        "We're trying to fight for him," Ethan adds in. 

        Derek lets out a sigh and shook his head at the twins. He turned his focus away from the masked figures and turned to look at the twins with a serious expression on his face. 

        "I'm sure you are," Derek answers calmly as his arms crossed over his chest. "I'm sure you'd kill for him... but are you willing to die for him?" 

        The question lingers in the air and silence fills the room. Ethan looks down at the ground, shying away from Derek's gaze, before looking over at his brother who was looking at him as well. The answer to Derek's question remained unanswered. 

  
_Unknown Location_

        After having explained what had occurred that fateful night, Silverfinger folded the mask up. He looked down at Chris with an unreadable expression, but if one searched hard enough, they could see the look of gratitude shining in his eyes. 

        "Do you know why I'm missing this finger?" Silverfinger asks as he points to his metal prosthetic. 

        "Penance," Chris answers. 

        "There's a ritual called yubitsume." Silverfinger explains. "Removing the joints of the little finger weakens your grip on a sword. When a katana is gripped properly, the little finger is the strongest." 

        "Why did they take your finger?" Isaac asks him. 

        "They didn't take it," Silverfinger clarifies. "A yakuza performs the ritual himself and offers it to his superior. It was penance for a mistake. And it wasn't my only one..."

        Silverfinger breathes deeply as he recalled the memory of that night. 

        "I don't know what it was about the way I moved or stood that suggested to them that I was going to take them on." Silverfinger confesses to Chris. "Because actually I... I was preparing to run for my life. That shot you fired saved me from looking like a coward before the survivors. For that humiliation, I wouldn't have to have given up my finger. I would've had to give up my head."

        Silverfinger pushes the covered masked towards Chris and bows his head in gratitude. 

        "I wish I could give you the answer you need, Mr. Argent." Silverfinger tells him. "I owe you more than my life. I owe you my honor."

        Chris stands up from his seat and takes back the broken mask. He motions to Allison and Isaac to start leaving but Silverfinger wasn't done with his warning yet. 

        "I will tell you one thing, however," Silverfinger calls out to them. "If there is a nogitsune among you, let the Oni destroy it."

        There's a brief pause and Chris turns back to find Silverfinger eyeing Allison warily. 

        "Even if it is your own daughter." 

*************

Diana's POV,  _McCall Residence_

        The house started to shake and Melissa glanced over at me in worry. It was easy to read the look on her face that told me to go back downstairs to figure out what was going now and how we were going to get out of it. I didn't argue with her knowing she was right. We had to get him out of here before it was too late and the only way out was through these masked figures that surrounded the house. I wipe the dry blood in my hands with a spare rug as I made my way downstairs. The house continued to shake and I look around to find the masked figures slamming their katanas at different points of the boundary.  

        "What are they doing?" Scott asks alarmed.         

        "Testing for weaknesses," I answer as I throw the bloody rag aside. Everyone looks up at me, startled, unaware of my presence until now. No one says anything in response and all of our attention shift back to the masked figures as their attacks kept sending plates and vases to drop and break around the floor. I thought we were in the clear until a joined attack caused a hole to rip through the forcefield. 

        "Guys?" Ethan calls out worriedly as he pointed at the problem. One of the masked figures pushed through the hole, causing it to grow bigger. "We have a problem." 

        Once Scott saw that the mountain ash wasn't going to keep them out for much longer, he pulled out his phone and called Allison in hopes that she had a solution. 

        "Allison, please tell me that you have something." Scott desperately states once she picks up. "They're here. They're trying to get in. And it looks like they're gonna be able to do it." 

        "Okay, okay listen." Allison responds quickly. " _They're Japanese demons. They're called the Oni. They're looking for someone possessed. Someone with a dark spirit attached to them."_

"A nogitsune." Scott states. 

        " _How'd you know that?_ " Allison asks. " _Scott?"_

I feel myself being pulled away from one of the open windows and I'm late to notice as an Oni starts to pierce through that part of the boundary with their katana. I look up to find that Derek was the one who had pulled me away and he hadn't let me go as he continued to scan other areas of the boundary that were being broken into. 

        " _Okay, they won't hurt you_." I overhear Allison continue to tell Scott. " _They know you're supernatural but once they do this check, once they realize that you're not carrying with you this dark spirit, then they won't hurt you, I promise. All they're looking for is the nogitsune."_

Scott hangs up the phone and the holes being cracked in our security continue to grow bigger. 

        "Scott, we're going to have to do something," Derek warns him, but it comes too late. The boundary shatters around the house and the Oni slowly step in. Derek is quick to put me behind him as he and the twins formed a boundary in front of Scott and Kira. The Oni continued to pour inside the house and Derek begins to shift his claws into place.

        "Don't do anything." 

        I look back at Scott with an alarmed expression, but Scott seemed calm. 

        "Is he serious?" Aidan exclaims as the Oni form a united line in front of us. 

        "I said don't do anything."

        I grab a hold of Derek's hand and move him out of the way. Scott steps through the opening holding Kira's hand as well. They both stood in front of the Oni in resignation.

        My hold on Derek's hand tighten as two of the Oni step out of the line and stand in front of Scott and Kira. The Oni's right hand latches onto the back of their heads. Their eyes glow green as they forced Scott and Kira onto their knees. Seconds pass as the Oni inspect the both of them and before long, their hand swipe down, leaving a mark behind each of their ears. Scott and Kira drop to the ground, both shaking due to the cold that came with the ritual.

        I start to move to reach for Scott but Derek tugs me back. The Oni were still prone to attack and I knew we couldn't afford to engage into another fight. The Oni step back and simultaneously they all disappear into the shadows. Without hesitation, I remove my hand from Derek's and run down towards Scott. 

        "You're gonna be ok," I tell him as I brush his hand away from the back of his ear. "I've got you." 

        I turn towards Derek who was kneeled beside me. He helped me raise him up and move him into a chair until he was able to break out of the haze he was in. Aidan and Ethan did the same for Kira. All that was left to do now was to wait. 

*************

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills Hospital_

        Melissa and Scott run after the paramedics that had picked them up at the house. They jogged through the emergency wing as Agent McCall was quickly being taken into surgery due to the fatal wound and the major loss of blood. 

        "Stab wound to the left chest," Melissa instructs to the surgeon on call. "Possible collapsed lung. Pulse is weak." 

        The surgeon took note of what Melissa said and took the case from there. Melissa watched as they wheeled him away and was forced to stay and wait now. 

        "I'll find Stiles," Scott tells her after she had told him he was checked in here. Knowing what Allison had said, Stiles might be next on the Oni's list and Scott had to warn him. Melissa nods at him and waves him away as she focused on the recovery of her ex-husband. 

        As this occurred, Stiles had woken up from his nap and was currently wandering the halls of the hospital. He finds himself in the closed down wing that was having repairs down. Stiles slips through some doors and walks into the middle of the room. He hears united steps come from behind him and stops to turn around. 

        Right in front of him are two Onis blocking him from running into the direction he came from. Stiles quickly turns around and attempts to escape through the doors on the other side of the room but stops when another Oni appears to block him there. That Oni reaches to grab the back of his head but Stiles quickly snatches the hand before it could touch him.

        On instinct, his other hand tears into the Oni's chest, causing it to bleed a yellow light, before pulling something out. The Oni disappears in the blink of an eye and Stiles looks down into his enclosed hand. Slowly, he opens up his fist to reveal a dying firefly on the palm of his hands. 

        Stiles lets the firefly drop to the ground and slowly turns around to face the remaining two Oni. His face held no expression and the Oni didn't hesitate to attack.

        Scott wanders through the halls, following after Stiles' scent which leads him down a secluded hall. The scent stops there and Scott grows worried especially as a loud thud catches his focus. He pushes through the doors of the room where the altercation sounded from and found Stiles' back facing him. 

        "Stiles?" Scott calls out to him. "You okay?" 

        "Yeah, I'm fine," Stiles answers as he turns around to look at Scott, "What's been going on?" 

        Stiles swings his arm over Scott's shoulder and starts to walk out with him. Scott begins to explain to him about the Oni and what had occurred in the past two nights. Stiles leads Scott away leaving behind two fireflies flickering on the floor to death.

  
_Diana's Apartment_

        Diana hadn't slept for two days now and it was taking it's toll on her. Derek watched as she lazily kicked her shoes off and undid the messy bun in her hair. A yawn escapes her lips as she stumbled through her apartment. She seemed to fail to notice that he was still here. 

        "You can stay here and sleep over for whatever hours remain in the night," Diana whispers to him as she slowly made her way upstairs. 

        "Am I sleeping on the couch?" Derek asks knowing that she was still upset with him. "Or will you be willing to share your bed with me?" 

        "Derek..." Diana groans out tiredly as she stopped halfway up the stairs. "I don't want to do this right now." 

        "Do what?" Derek questions as he makes his way to the edge of the stairs. "You don't want to argue with me? You don't want to face your problems face on? You don't want to talk?" 

        "I don't want to hear whatever excuses you have right now," Diana exclaims. "I dealt with your silence all day. I didn't say anything because I knew you were thinking, calculating, worrying... I don't know. I just... I let you have your space because I know you hate being cornered and forced to talk when you're not ready to, but you had all day, Derek. You had all day to talk to me, to share this information, and you didn't. You didn't trust me enough." 

        "Diana..." Derek calls out to her as she looked away from him. 

        "Derek, don't," Diana whispers with a shake of her head. "I told you I didn't want to do this tonight." 

        Without another word, Diana hurries up her stairs to her bedroom. Derek hesitated whether to follow her upstairs but his body made the decision for him as he went up the staircase. He found Diana pulling on an oversized t-shirt as she kicked off her leggings from her legs. Her eyes glance over at him for a second before she looked away and focused on climbing into bed. 

        Derek slowly kicked off his shoes and slipped his shirt off. Diana hadn't looked his way and simply shifted to one edge of the bed as she tucked the cover under her arm. Derek pulled down his jeans and remained in his black boxers as he slipped into bed next to her. She had yet to turn to acknowledge him and Derek sighed. 

        "I'm sorry." 

        Diana tenses up at his voice and Derek continued to watch the back of her head as he continued with his apology. 

        "I shouldn't have kept everything to myself," Derek tells her. "I should have trusted you... I  _do_ trust you."

        Diana slowly turns around to face him. Her brown eyes met his green ones and she sighed in resignation. 

        "How did you know what Kira was anyways?" Diana finds herself asking as she shifted closer to him. Derek extends his arm and pulls Diana to lay her head onto his chest. "How did you know a lot about kitsunes?" 

        Derek let his fingers comb through her loose hair as a smile slowly crept over his face. 

        "Well... while you waste your day in that hell of a high school, I spend my days reading about everything." 

        Diana couldn't help but giggle as she realized what Derek was trying to prove to her. 

        "Ok, ok... I guess your leisure activities aren't  _completely_ useless." 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>         Wanted to make the update as soon as possible so forgive the typos. I also realized that there's about ten more chapters to go for this book before it's over. Just something to think about... 
> 
>    


	18. Foxfire

        I groan as I heard the beeping of my phone coming from my nightstand. That and the incessant buzzing coming from Derek's phone had woken both of us up. Hearing our phones both go off at around the same time was alarming so we both were quick to force ourselves awake and answer the incoming calls. 

        "Isaac is calling me," I tell Derek as I look down at the caller I.D.

        "Scott's calling me," Derek responds as he quickly presses the answer button. 

        He walks out of the room to allow me privacy while I answer Isaac's call. I quickly press the green button and place the phone over my ear. 

        "Hey Isaac, what's wrong?" 

        " _It's Stiles_ ," Isaac answers quickly. " _We don't know what's happened to him. He says he's in some sort of basement, I think? And that he's cold and that something's wrong with his leg."_

"Isaac, what do you mean?" I ask as [I start to pull on some jeans over my legs](https://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=226446043). I press the phone between my ear and shoulder as I start to pull on some boots on. "How did he get there?" 

        " _I don't know_ ," Isaac sighs out. " _He must have slept walk or something..."_

        "Have you called the Sheriff?" I ask him as I look up to find Derek coming into the room carrying the same concerned expression. I assumed he knew what I knew at the moment. 

        " _We're on our way to the station to tell him right now,_ " Isaac tells me. " _Diana, I have to go."_

"Isaac," I call out but he hangs up too soon. I watch as my phone flashes the end of the call before shutting down. I let out a sigh as I pull out a sweatshirt from my closet and pull it over my head. "We have to get going." 

        Derek nods at this and finishes getting ready before motioning me out the door. 

        "Scott and Isaac are at the station right now," I tell Derek. "We should start trying to find him through his scent." 

        I pause at the garage and felt conflicted whether it would be faster to take a car or go by foot alone. Derek seems to sense my dilemma and quickly makes the decision for me. 

        "I know you can outrun a car but it'll be better to drive," Derek tells me. "Scott told me the Jeep was missing so he had to driven at some point." 

        I nod and I let him lead me to his cruiser. We both climb in and I'm quick to roll down the window to see if I could catch a passing scent on the roads.

        "I just saw him a few hours ago," I sigh out in frustration. "How could he have gotten in trouble so quickly?" 

        "We've got a nogitsune in town," Derek responds. "We don't know what that could possibly entail." 

        I let Derek's words settle into my brain as we ran through the woods. I felt my wolf whimper for my attention and I motion for Derek to slow down. My head instinctively snaps to my left and I motion for him to turn left when he was able to. Derek reluctantly does so and I don't offer an explanation as a fresh scent hits our noses that was undeniably Stiles. Derek parks his car next to Stiles' jeep and I step out of the car. I place my hand on top of the hood only to find it cold.

        "Diana, what are you..." 

        "His engine's gone cold," I tell him. "He hasn't driven anytime soon."

        Derek stops beside me and takes in the sight of the hospital behind me. 

        "Something's wrong," I tell him as I start to follow the scent trail towards the entrance of the hospital. "His scent it's..." 

        "It's conflicted," Derek answers as he takes notice of this too. 

        Derek and I slowly follow the scent trail left behind. It was heavy and hard to take in but we pushed through it as we found our way up to the roof. I grow concerned as the trail stops there. It didn't take long for scuffling feet to find us and I turn around to find Isaac and Scott running up to meet us. 

        "He's not here," I tell them. "Not anymore."

        "You mean the whole building?" Scott asks a bit out of breath.

        "Gone," Derek answers as he narrows his eyes around the whole roof as if he was searching for something.

        "I'll go tell Stilinski," Isaac sighs out as he starts to step away.

        "And see if you can find Allison," Scott tells him. "She's not answering her phone."

        Isaac nods at this, glancing my way for a split second before disappearing. I let out a sigh as I watch him go out on his own. He had opted to stay at Scott's earlier tonight and I have yet to sit down and talk to him ever since I got back. Part of me felt like he was avoiding me, but I knew that was not the case. I let that thought go and refocused at the crisis at hand. 

        "Notice how strong the scent is up here?" Derek asks Scott. "Ever hear of chemo signals?"

        Scott shakes his head and Derek continues on with an explanation.

        "Chemical signals that communicate emotion," Derek tells him. "And just our sweat can give off anger, fear, or disgust. Take a deep breath and tell me what you feel."         

        Scott closes his eyes and inhales deeply. His face quickly turns into a frown as a result.

        "Stress," Scott answers. 

        "And anxiety," I add in as I looked around the bare roof.  

        "What was he doing up here?" Scott asks us.

        "We don't know," Derek answers. "But there was definitely some kind of struggle."

        "With who?" Scott asks concerned.

        " _Himself,_ " I answer as I look down at my hands that shook slightly. I quickly tuck them into the pockets of my jacket and try to ease myself from falling into my wolf for comfort. 

*************

Third POV,  _Eichen House_

        Lydia calls in saying she knows where Stiles was stuck in. Without questioning it and desperate to find his son, the Sheriff took a patrol car out towards the mental health center in order to find his son. It wasn't until all of them were standing in front of the gates that he felt hesitant about walking in. 

        "Lydia, I don't want to say, _Are you sure about this,_ but..."

        "No, he's here," Lydia interrupts him as she relied on whatever psychic skills she had. "I swear to God he's here."

        The Sheriff doesn't hesitate with those words of confirmation and instead makes his way into the lobby with urgency and demands one of the nurses for access to all of the basement rooms in the facility. 

        Once the keys were given, the Sheriff allows Lydia to lead the way and the rest of them followed shortly after. Lydia pointed to a door that led downstairs and the Sheriff was quick to break it down. Scott, Aidan, and Lydia quickly head downstairs and start to search through the empty basement. 

        "It's here," Lydia tells them as they spread out to look. "It's right here." 

        They call out Stiles' name but no one answers because no one else was there. 

        "Lydia?" Scott asks in confusion. He couldn't even find any scent trace of Stiles anywhere in the facility. Lydia looks around the room in confusion. Her powers, her instincts had led her directly here and nothing was to be found. 

        "I don't get it," Lydia whispers confused. "This has to be it." 

        "Then where is he, huh?" the Sheriff asks frustrated. "Where is he?!" 

        Lydia shuffles back in fear at the Sheriff's raised voice. The Sheriff backs away and lets out a sigh.

        "I'm sorry," he whispers before heading out of the basement. 

        "I don't understand," Lydia whimpers once more as she looked around the dark basement. She had never been wrong before and this was the crucial moment that she failed. 

  
_ BH Police Station _

        Finding the station fairly empty and hearing that Stiles was missing led a recovering Agent McCall to stop his attempts in proving the Sheriff's incompetence and offer him some aid. Deputy Parrish had reluctantly handed over the file constructed for Stiles' missing case. Agent McCall looked through it slowly at his desk before taking notice of a subtle clue. 

        "Hey, is this the exact transcript of Scott and Stiles's phone call?" Agent McCall asks as he steps out of his office and looks down at Deputy Parrish. 

        "It's what he gave us," Parrish responds with a shrug. 

        "But these words," Agent McCall attempts to clarify. "Stiles says, _Something smells terrible. My eyes are watering._ "

        Parrish doesn't understand what the agent is getting at and just shrugs once more. Agent McCall sighs but turns to find Melissa in her pink scrubs speaking to the officer at the desk. He walks out to meet her and Melissa offers him a tired smile. 

        "What are you doing here?" he asks her.

        "My shift was over," she tells him. "I just wanted to see if I could help." 

        "You came at the right time," Agent McCall tells her as he grabs his coat and swings it on over his sling. "I just got a lead and I'm going to need your help to get there."

        Melissa nods and walks out with him towards the parking lot. Agent McCall unlocks a police commissioned SUV and turns it on. He immediately places the police lights on and pulls out of the station.

        "It was something that Stiles said in his phone call to Scott that didn't add up to the rest of the things he was saying," Agent McCall explained to her. "It made me start thinking of how you said how much he worried you since he hadn't been sleeping right and potentially sleep walking to places..."

        "So what are you saying?" Melissa asks him trying to get him to reach his point already. 

        "I'm saying the real question might be, how do we know he's not still asleep?" Agent McCall asks her as they drove down through the preservation.

        "You mean he's been asleep the whole time?" Melissa asks in disbelief. 

        "Well, people who sleepwalk can do crazy things," Agent McCall comments. "One guy goes down to the kitchen and cooks an entire meal. Another guy is found mowing his lawn naked."

        "Why does any of that matter?" Melissa asks him. 

        "Remember that townhouse apartment we lived in?" Agent McCall asks her. "There was that one night I came home drunk..." 

        "Oh, one night?" she cuts him off with a scoff. 

        "Let me finish," Agent McCall sighs out. "So I'm drunk, passed out on the bed, when I decide to get up to go to the bathroom. Then all of a sudden I hear you yelling " _What the hell are you doing?_ "

        "Because you were in the closet peeing into the laundry basket," Melissa clarifies. 

        "Yeah and I thought it was the bathroom," Agent McCall argues. 

        "Oh, no, you were drunk off your ass," Melissa remarks back. 

        "Yeah," Agent McCall reluctantly agrees, "But I was convinced it was the bathroom." 

        "Yeah," Melissa sighs out as she looked away from him. 

        "So how do we know Stiles isn't just convinced he's in some kind of basement and isn't actually there?" Agent McCall asks her. Melissa looks over at him and realizes what he was implying. "I think when he called Scott, he was still asleep. And is still asleep right now."

        "Then where is he?"

        "I got an idea about that too," Agent McCall tells her as he parks the car on the side of the road. Melissa looks to the side and finds a turned up car laying on a ditch. She turns back to Agent McCall in question but he was already out of the car waiting for her to follow after him. 

        The trek through the forest was a bit rough as they only had the flashlights on their phones to work with. After a while of walking through the darkness of the woods, Agent McCall comes to a stop and Melissa is quick to cover her nose at the stench coming from the den below. 

        "He's here," Agent McCal shouts out to Melissa as he saw the shivering figure inside the den. "I'm gonna go get him." 

        Melissa had no time to argue as Agent McCall stepped into the den without another word. The whole scene was quiet before it was disrupted by shouting.  

        "Wait! Wait!"

        Melissa quickly climbs down and finds Agent McCall struggling to pull Stiles out of the hole.

        "Stiles," Melissa calls out to him as she helps him out of the den. He continues to fight their holds and Melissa is quick to wrap her arms around his torso and pull him into her chest.

        "Stiles!" Melissa continues to call out to him.

        Stiles continues to shout and fight but after coaxing him a while he seems to snap himself away.

        "Stiles, you're alright!" Melissa shouts at him. "Okay! You're alright... Stiles, you're alright."

        Stiles continues to shiver in his arms and lets himself fall into her. He begins to breathe heavily as his body racked with fearful sobs. 

*************

Diana's POV,  _BH Hospital_

        Derek had been kind enough to recharge Stiles' Jeep battery that had gone dead. I patiently waited as he unclipped the cables and closed the hood on Stiles' Jeep. Aidan was currently waiting on us as he explained to us that they had found nothing at Eichen House, but that Agent McCall had found a vague clue that led him to Stiles. Apparently he was hiding out in the coyote den that some girl named Malia had been hiding in while she was stuck in her coyote form. 

        The influx of information was a bit too much for my tired mind but I was relieved to hear that Stiles was safe and sound at home. I would have thought that Aidan would have left by now since he clued us in on everything but he remained standing there with a conflicted expression on his face. 

        "So, you think he was just sleepwalking?" he asks us. "Or is there something more to it?"

        "In this town there's always something more," I answer with a sigh. 

        "What if I told you I know something more?" Aidan offers up. Derek and I look at him with a narrowed gaze and he quickly starts to explain himself. "I kind of overheard... Well, I listened in on Stiles talking to Scott and you."

        "Well that was nice of you," I comment quietly.

        "I mean... I'm bringing this up now because he thinks he was the one who wrote that message in the Chemistry room," Aidan states. "The message telling Barrow to kill Kira."

        "You think Stiles... skinny, defenseless-Stiles, is the Nogitsune?" Derek asks with a scoff. "A powerful, dark spirit?"

        I let Derek's word settle in and let out a heavy sigh. My hand comes up to rub the crease on my forehead and I catch Aidan's knowing gaze. 

        "I'm not the only one thinking it," Aidan states as he looks away from me. "I'm just the only one saying it."

        "This thing wants to possess someone and chooses Stiles?" Derek asks still not won over by the idea. "Why wouldn't it take someone bigger? Stronger? Someone with a little more..."

        His voice trails off and I can see how he started to see the potential in that theory. Derek shifts both of the clips from the cable and connects them together. 

        "...Power."

        "You see it now, don't you?" Aidan asks both of us not needing our answer to know that we did. He left without another word and I let the severity of the situation settle heavily on top of me. 

        "Stiles..." I whisper as I rub my face tiredly. "Dammit, the signs were right there and I..." 

        Derek glances over at me with sympathy before he disconnects the cables from his car and puts them up. His hands land on my shoulder and he rubs it gently. 

        "I have a theory," Derek tells me. "And it involves you skipping work tomorrow." 

        "I can't..." I sigh out as I think over of a text I had received earlier tonight. "Deaton needs my help on something. He thinks he knows a way to help Stiles."

        "And what does that entail?" Derek asks me with curiosity. 

        "Apparently some undercover work. It should only take a couple of days," I answer vaguely as I turn to look at him with a tired expression. "I have a bad feeling, Derek. About all of this..." 

        Derek nods sympathetically at me and I let out another heavy sigh. 

        "Keep an eye out on the boys," I tell him. "I won't be able to when I'm gone." 

*************

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills HS_

        The school bell rings and the halls become flooded with students moving to their next class. Scott looks down at his phone to find a response from Stiles saying they haven't found anything wrong medically yet. Scott was distracted with concern that he didn't hear Kira shouting his name from the other end of the hall. Kira dejectedly watches him walk away but her mood changes as someone stepped up to her.

        "He's a little preoccupied," Derek tells her once he found the young kitsune. "But I can help you."

        "Why would you want to help me?" Kira asks as she looked up at him in confusion.

        "Because I want you to tell me everything that happened at the power station with William Barrow," Derek explains to her, "Actually, I want you to show me."

        Kira didn't seem to want to argue with him and simply followed after him. Derek was a bit surprised as to how trusting she was to him but he didn't question her on it. He just simply led her to his car and they silently made their way towards the power station.

        They step out of the car and Derek motions to Kira to lead the way. She shivers slightly at the sight in front of her before slowly making her way in. The power station was fairly empty the yellow police tape being the only evidence that someone had been there before them. Derek and Kira slip under the police tape and make their way in.

        "It was around here, I think," Kira comments as they make their way through some fenced area. "But everything kind of looks the same now."

        Derek walks further down the station and frowns at the ground. Kira quickly follow his gaze and finds a dent carved into the cement floor. The dent led up to a power box that had a bat magnetized onto it. 

        "What is that?" Kira asks as she steps closer for inspection. "Is that a baseball bat?"

        "It's Stiles's bat," Derek states as he recognized it. He walks over to it and tries to pry it away from the power box. He struggles a bit before he adds a little more strength in his pulls and manages to pull the aluminum bat right off. 

        "It's magnetized," Derek comments.

        Derek moves to stand next to Kira and places the end of the bat down to where the cement dent started. It didn't take long for the bat to start to move forward on its own taking Derek along with it. The bat then flies up to the power box and returns to its previous position. Derek lets go of it and looks up at Kira in concern. 

        "Kira, I'm going to need you to tell me  everything you know about foxfire," Derek tells her as his eyes catches sight of a warning sign. Kira looks towards it and finds that it was a warning of high voltage and starts to piece together what Derek had known all along. 

  
_ BH Hospital _

       Melissa and John Stilinski were together at the hospital as tests were done on Stiles. They were both aware of the similarities that Stiles portrayed to his late mother and had finally gotten around to admitting it. Both were currently speaking to the neurologist specialist while Scott spoke to Stiles in the MRI scan room. 

        "I'm not sure I know how to pronounce this... or if it's not actually a misspelling," the doctor states as he looks over the name on the medical file.

        With an exasperated sigh the Sheriff responds, "Just call him Stiles."

        "Okay," the doctor agrees before he turns to look up at Stiles. "Stiles, just to warn you, you're going to hear a lot of noise during the MRI. It's due to pulses of electricity going through metal coils inside the machine. Uh, if you want we can get you earplugs or headphones?" 

        "Oh, no," Stiles answers with a shake of his head. "I don't need anything."

        "Hey, we're just on the other side of that window, ok?" the Sheriff tells his son as he points to the adjoining room.

        "Ok," Stiles mumbles as he offered his dad a tired smile. Once both parents and doctors are gone, Stiles turns to look at Scott.

        "Diana wanted to be here but she got stuck doing something with Derek, but she promised she'll be here soon and that when you get out of here she'll make us breakfast, lunch, and dinner and..."

        Stiles wished he could smile for Scott's ramblings but he couldn't. This was one of those times that Stiles had slowly given up hope.

        "You know what they're looking for, right?"

        Scott refuses to answer and Stiles lets out a sigh.         

        "It's called frontotemporal dementia," Stiles explains to him. "Areas of your brain start to shrink. It's what my mother had. It's the only form of dementia that can hit teenagers... and there's no cure."

        "Stiles, if you have it, we'll do something," Scott assures him finally looking up at him. " _I'll do something."_

Stiles couldn't help but let out a sigh and pull Scott into an embrace. They remain that way for a few more seconds refusing to return to the bitterness of reality. 

****

        Along the way to the hospital, Kira told Derek everything she knew about foxfire which wasn't much more than what Derek had read earlier. Though from what he heard it was enough to confirm what he had thought about last night. After gaining an update from Scott, Derek drove them into the hospital's parking lot and stopped the car. He quickly gets out and starts to head in before he realizes that Kira wasn't following after him. 

        "I don't know if I should go in," she tells him. Derek gives her a questioning look and she lets out a sigh. "You're going to tell Scott that Barrow might have used foxfire created by _me_ to jump start the Nogitsune's power inside Stiles."

        "Yeah?" Derek asks her making her go on. 

        "Basically that I helped a dark spirit take control of his best friend," Kira concludes causing Derek to get what she was getting at.

        "You should probably wait here," Derek tells her motioning her to stay by the car in which Kira nods in agreement.

        Derek walks down the halls and slows down when he finds Scott sitting out in a small waiting area. His head looks up at him and he seems relieved at the sight of him. Derek quickly offer him a small smile before taking a seat across from him.

        "How's he doing?" Derek asks him. 

        "Fine," Scott sighs out. "He could be better though." 

        "Diana wanted to be here, but she had something to take care of," Derek told him. Scott nods quietly and simply rubs his face as the stress started to get too much for him. 

        "You know the stuff you were telling me about chemo signals earlier?" Scott asks Derek. "It reminded me of the time you were teaching me to use anger to control the shift."

        Derek smiles fondly at the memory. 

        "I think you ended up teaching me more about that," Derek responds. 

        "Are you teaching me again?" Scott asks him.

        "Think of it more like sharing a few trade secrets," Derek tells him. "You know, Diana and I took Cora back to South America, right? It's where she spent most of her time after the fire... But that's not the only reason we were gone for so long."

        Scott peers up at curiously and Derek continues. 

        "I needed to talk to my mother."

        "Your dead mother?" Scott asks confused in which Derek nods. 

        "She told me something that changed my perspective on a lot of things," Derek tells him. "She said that my family didn't just live in Beacon Hills. They _protected_ it. This town needs someone to protect it. Someone like you."

        Scott offers us a small smile at this, "And someone like you two to teach me a few trade secrets."

        Derek smiles at this and offers a nod to Scott. The moment is quickly gone as Scott frowns in thought.

        "What?" Derek asks him noticing the change in his mood.

        "He was trying to protect us," Scott tells him as he stands up urgently from his seat. "Stiles was protecting us."

        "From himself," Derek adds on as he recalled the chemo signals on the roof. 

        Scott starts to make his way up to the roof again and Derek quickly followed after him. They make their way out onto the empty roof as they waited to hear what was going on through Scott's mind. 

        "What are we looking for?" Derek asks him as he scours the roof for anything.

        "I'm not sure," Scott answers as he walks past an air vent and heads towards the power generator from before. He stops in front of it and the frown on his face deepens. "But I think Stiles wasn't just up here struggling with himself. I think he was struggling _not_ to do something." 

        Scott climbs up the generator and pulls out something from the top. A bag filled with wires and tools clatter on the ground and it slowly becomes evident as to what Stiles could have been up to. Derek and Scott continue to search around for any sign of tampering until a buzzing catches their attention. They look up to find an exposed power cable that was shooting out small sparks. 

        Before they could make any sense of this, the exposed cable starts to shoot out bigger sparks and all of sudden the whole things explodes. Derek and Scott take a big step back from the generator as it continued to send large sparks of electricity through the air. The exposed power cable from before cuts itself free and starts to whip around in the air with no control. Unable to stop it, the cable whips out of the floor and makes its way below. 

*************

Diana's  POV,  _Unknown Location_

        "You know I can't believe you stole a wolf," I tell Deaton as he fed the white wolf through the cage. "Especially since it belongs to that Yakuza family." 

        "I have my ways," Deaton answer as he offered me a small smile. "You're not the only one with a special skillset."

        "I can see that," I tell him as I pull my hair back from the black robe I was wearing. "So I sneak in, search the place, and then you'll come for me." 

        "That's the plan," Deaton responds as he points to the lonely house at the top of the hill. "You know your role and I'll be there before midnight strikes." 

        "Got it," I answer as I stand up from my seat. I let out a sigh as I look down on my phone not getting an update from Derek in awhile. "And you promise whatever this herb is will help Stiles?"

        "If what you told me about Argent is right then it should," Deaton responds as he turns to look away. I use that brief moment of privacy to take a deep breath and take off my robe. I close my eyes and felt my bones start to shift for the change. I let out a quick shake as my fur settled and look up to Deaton. He's quick to place the dog collar around my neck. 

        "Now go," Deaton tells me. "You'll be on your own so be careful." 

        I nod at him before taking off towards the house. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was basically a filler and I kept changing my mind on what I wanted to do with this chapter but then I made up my mind so here it is! 


	19. Letharia Vulpina

Third POV,  _Unknown Location_

        Miles away from Beacon Hills stood a house on top of a secluded cliff. It overlooked a bright big city, but the man ignored the view as he looked into the darkness that surrounded his private home. He took a big drink from his glass, the brown liquor swishing around in his cup as he set it down. Worry was etched all over his face before he impatiently stormed back inside to see his men surrounding the whole room in silence. In the middle of the room, on top of a red cushion, laid a paralyzed white wolf. 

        Earlier that night, she was happily running around the place and was enjoying her owner's company, but ever since he walked her, she changed. She had run for a while inside the home, but now she remained restless on her bed before being unable to move. Not even to walk over to her bowl and get a sip of water. 

        Seeing his defenseless wolf laying there paralyzed caused the Yakuza boss, Ikeda, to scream in frustration.

        "Oh, my God! Why is it taking so long?"

        "The doctor is on his way," one of his men responds with a bow of his head. "He comes highly recommended."

        "Did I ask for a professional reference?" Ikeda exclaims as he sets his bourbon down and grabbed a handgun. "I asked why it was taking so long. That is a question of time. Not quality of service. Do you think I would pay for an idiot to look at him?"

        "No, Ikeda-sama," the same man responds as he bowed his head in apology. 

        "Can any of you idiots tell me why she hasn't moved in a couple of hours?" Ikeda asks as he waved the gun around in annoyance. All of his men remained silent, "No? Then where the hell is the doctor?"

        On cue, the gong rings and the doors slide open to reveal two of the Yakuza men escorting the awaited veterinarian. Deaton is quick to bow down his head and apologize for his tardiness in Japanese. 

        "Apologize if you can't do anything," Ikeda exclaims as he paced around his she-wolf. Deaton steps towards the unmoving wolf and looked down at her. "Have you worked with wolves before?"

        "Here and there," Deaton responds after a second. He crouches down next to the wolf and sets his bag down. He's quick to pull out his plastic gloves and puts them on. "And what's our patient's name?"

        "Yuki." 

        "Hello, Yuki," Deaton greets the wolf. "Now what have you gotten yourself into, my friend?"

        Deaton pets the mane of the wolf before slowly opening the lips of the mouth revealing the canine's teeth. He inspects it closely before looking up at Ikeda. 

        "Has Yuki been around any unusual plants?" Deaton asks him with a look of concern. "Something that looks like moss? It would be bright green, almost neon. It's called lichen and it's highly toxic. I need to know if Yuki has consumed any."

        Ikeda frowns at the question knowing what he was referring to. 

        "If she has the poison, just treat her."

        "I'm sorry, but not without knowing the species," Deaton states as he stands up. "I need a sample."

        "It's in the garden," Ikeda responds before waving his gun to one of his men. "Shigeki, take him."

        The man simply looks down and shakes his head rejecting the simple task. All of the other men also kept their heads down as well. Ikeda begins to exclaim in Japanese but none of the men complied to his demand. 

        "Superstitious idiots," Ikeda grits out having no other choice but taking the vet to the garden himself. They make their way through the house and out onto a secluded garden. Ikeda slowly opens the locked gates and motions to Deaton to the moss growing on the exterior surface of a fountain. "Is this what you're looking for?"

        Deaton nods and sets his bag down once more. He pulls out a glass container and offers it up to Ikeda.

        "Hold this, please."

        Ikeda takes up the container and Deaton removes the lid. Deaton then walks over to the fountain and with a pair of scissors and begins to cut the neon moss off.

        "You really think Yuki got in here and ate this stuff?" Ikeda asks in concern.

        "Actually, I think Yuki probably doesn't come anywhere near here," Deaton confesses as he inspects the moss closely. "I doubt it if you could even drag her in some part of her probably senses what happened here... to your father and the nogitsune possessing him."

        Ikeda takes off the safety of his gun and aims it at the back of Deaton's head. Deaton doesn't even blink an eye at the threat to his life and simply twists the moss in his fingers

        "This particular lichen is called _Letharia Vulpina,_ wolf lichen," Deaton explains to him. "They used it to poison wolves and foxes. They'd put out pieces of meat with crushed glass and bits of the lichen in it. The glass perforated the intestines of the animal so the vulpinic acid could reach the internal organs faster."

        "What did you do to my wolf?" Ikeda exclaims as he notices that Deaton had planned this all along. 

        "Well, I didn't poison her with lichen," Deaton responds casually as he stands up. "I just switched one wolf for the other and she's a great actress."

        Ikeda looked at him in confusion.

        "As for the trick I played on you," Deaton tells him with a tilt of his head. "I simply placed a simple paralytic on that jar."

        Ikeda looks down at his hand that had unknowingly started to tremble. The hold on his gun was shaking as well and he gasps as he unwillingly drops the gun onto the floor.

        "Kanima..." he whispers knowing the venom going through his system.

        "I guess we both know a few things, Ikeda-san," Deaton replies as he bends down and pulls out the glass jar from Ikeda's stiff hand. "Born out of the blood of a nogitsune, this lichen is quite special. More powerful than you know."

        Ikeda, unable to move, looks up at Deaton who is putting the lichen away.

        "What... What are you going to use it for?" he stutters out.

        "There's a fox hiding inside a teenage boy," Deaton answers him. "And I'm going to poison it."

        Ikeda watches as Deaton packs his bag and walks away unharmed. Deaton walks back to the main room and finds Diana back in her human form. Deaton is quick to pull out the black silk robe out of his bag and hold it out for her to put on. He looks around the room to find all of the Yakuza passed out on the floor and their guns disarmed beside them. 

        "You've been busy," Deaton comments as he steps over an unconscious body.       

        Diana couldn't help but smile at the sight of the disarrayed room. 

        "I grew bored," she responds with a shrug. "Also, it was nice to see the surprise on their faces when I shifted in front of them and kicked their asses." 

        Diana turns to look at him as she tightened the knot in front of her robe. 

        "Did you get what we came for?" 

        Deaton reveals the glass container in his gloved hand. Diana let out a relieved sigh at the sight of the lichen.

        "Let's go hunt a fox then." 

  
 _BH Hospital_         

        The sparking electric cable makes its way down to the parking lot of the hospital. Kira watched it as it whipped around dangerously close to her. She continues to step back and all of sudden an incoming ambulance crashes against the fire hydrant in attempts to avoid the cable. Kira screams at the sight of the crash and watches as a burst of water starts to pour out. A large pool of water continues to grow through the parking lot and the electric cable finally lands on top of it. 

        Allison's car skids to a stop at the sight of mayhem in front of her. She and Isaac are quick to come out of the car and watch as the injured paramedic steps out of the ambulance and into the electrically filled water. His body begins to shake and it drops to the ground dead. 

        "Get back!" Kira shouts as she warns everyone coming into the parking lot. "Everyone, get back!"

        Allison sees the body drop and runs forward to help but Isaac is quick to push her back into a patch of grass. He was ready to jump out of the way as well but the water reached him first and his body begins to shake in electric shock.  

        "Isaac!" Allison shouts unable to do anything to help him. 

        The water continues to spread throughout the lot and a couple of more bodies become victims to it. An incoming driver watches distractedly as the cable continues to whip around. The car is heading towards Kira, but she's quick to climb over the moving car and makes a flip in the air before landing into the electric filled water. 

        Unlike the others, her body does not shake, instead it grows stronger as sparks of electricity starts to succomb unto her body. Derek and Scott approach the scene but stop at the edge of the pool of water. They watch as Kira spreads her hands beside her before catching the electric cable into her hands. She slowly caps the open end and begins to consume the outpour of electricity into herself. Her eyes slowly open to reveal their bright orange. Kira blinks it away before dropping the dull cable onto the ground. 

        The electricity of the cable and the water are gone and Derek finds Isaac laying motionlessly on the charcoal ground. He's quick to shout his name in concern and runs towards his body. Scott remained rooted at his spot as he watched a breathless Kira. 

        "Isaac?" Derek asks as he checks him over and finds him still unresponsive. "He's not breathing..."

        Derek looks up at Scott and breaks him out of his daze, "Scott, he's not breathing!" 

****

        Everything happened too fast after that. Nurses and doctors sprinted out of the hospital to help the victims of this unnatural tragedy. Scott vaguely watches as Kira's mom takes her away without another word. He overhears their conversation before his attention is drawn away as Isaac is put on a hospital bed and rushed inside. Scott recalls hearing that Stiles drove out of the hospital and how Rafael commented on the sign of sabotage to the electric generator. 

        " _You have to tell Stilinski,_ " Derek told him as they watched Isaac being taken into immediate surgery. " _You have to tell him what's really wrong with Stiles."_

Scott knew he was overwhelmed with everything that night and vaguely recalled watching Derek grow upset as Diana didn't answer his calls. Hours later, as Isaac was moved from surgery into a private room in the ICU, Diana comes running in with her face pale and hair wild. The tears in her eyes hadn't fallen yet but one glance towards Scott and Derek's concerned expressions from their position outside the room was enough for her to break. 

        Scott couldn't remove the searing image of Diana collapsing onto her knees and crying out. Derek was quick to drop next to her and pull her into his arms. She shook in them and as usual, she started to blame herself for the events that had occurred in the simple hours that she was gone. 

        "I should have been here," Diana cries out. "I should have been with him. I could have... I could have saved him." 

        Derek tries to argue with her, tries to convince her out of the blame, but she was relentless. 

        "I'm his guardian!" she exclaims. "I haven't even seen him since I got back and instead of spending my times with him I went on an undercover mission! I didn't make him my priority! I should have been looking after him... I should have... I should have been here for him... I should have... It should be me on that bed! It should... It should be me!"

        Diana was causing a scene but all of the nearby nurses and doctors simply stared at her in pity. Scott didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to make her see that this wasn't her fault. That it was... Stiles...

        Scott felt that even if he said this, if he admitted that his best friend was the cause of all of this, that he was letting him down. He also knew that Diana would rather put the blame on herself than Stiles. Even though she was no longer an Alpha and didn't need to take care of them anymore, she would do this for him. She would do this for all of them so they would never have to stain their hands with blood. 

        The scene still played in Scott's head even after two days. The weekend had slipped by and Scott remained holed up in his room as guilt slowly continued to consume him. His alarm had gone off a few minutes ago and he reluctantly got out of bed and got ready for school. He makes his way downstairs and finds his mom staring blankly ahead of her with her coffee growing cold between her hands. 

        "Any news?" Scott asks her causing Melissa to look at him with a tight smile. 

        "They're still looking for him," she tells him as she sets her coffee down. "It's past the 48 -hour mark, but I guess if anyone's going to be missing for two days and turn up just fine, it's Stiles."

        "What about Isaac?"

        "Maybe we should go by the hospital before school," Melissa responds with a saddened expression. Scott nods at this and grabs his bag so they could head out. 

        They arrive to the hospital in a few minutes and Melissa leads Scott towards the designated room. They find a sleeping Allison on one of the waiting chairs outside and Scott lightly shakes her awake. 

        "Have you been here all night?" he asks her.

        "Yeah, they won't let me see him because I'm not family," Allison responds as she rubs her eyes off sleep. "Diana told me she would put me on the visitor's list, but I guess she forgot... or maybe she didn't do it out of spite because she blames me for this which she's not wrong..."

        "Allison," Scott sighs out knowing she didn't carry the blame either. 

        "It's my fault," Allison responds as she hugged herself. "He pushed me out of the way and didn't have enough time to save himself." 

        Scott shook his head at her and simply squeezed her shoulder in comfort. Melissa scanned the empty hallway before pulling out her work I.D. 

        "I doubt Diana blames you," Melissa assures her. "And you don't need to be on a list since I've got a key card."

        Melissa slides her key card through the security scanner and the ICU doors open. 

        "Be quick," Melissa warns them as she let them in. 

        Scott and Allison didn't know what to say as they saw Isaac laying motionlessly on the hospital bed. The only sound in the room was the machine monitoring his heartbeat that remained steady. The scars around his face and neck had yet to heal from the day of the incident. 

        "I thought he'd be healing by now," Allison comments as they walked closer to the bed. 

        "So did I." 

        Scott reaches down onto his scarred arm and senses the amount of pain he was in.

        "Is he in pain?" Allison asks him in which Scott nods. His hold on Isaac's arm tightens a bit as he starts to take some of his pain away. Scott's hand reveals the dark veins moving up and the heart monitor begins to race a bit. Isaac gasps momentarily before Scott is forced to let go. 

        "It won't heal him, but it helps with the pain." 

        The heart monitor returns to normal and Scott takes a deep breath as his body recovered from the transfer. 

        "Did Stiles really do this?" Allison asks in concern. 

        "Whatever's controlling him did it," Scott answers. "Whatever's inside him." 

        "Well, then how do we get whatever's inside of him the hell out of him?" Allison asks causing Scott to sigh. 

        "I'm working on it." 

**************

Diana's POV, _BHHS_

        [Walking into the locker room was a bit rough for me](https://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=228745335). It was hard to bear the sympathetic and pitying stares that were coming my way. Even Coach offered me a small smile as I set my bag down and stood next to him. I wasn't used to being at this end of an ordeal and if it were any other day I would have chewed someone's head off, but not today. This past weekend was rough and I haven't been able to sleep well ever since Isaac's accident. It didn't make things better that Stiles had disappeared too. 

        "Listen up!" Coach exclaims. "Anybody catches the slightest glimpse of Stilinski, you contact the first available teacher, got it?"

        "Yes, Coach," the team mumbles throughout the room. 

        "There's a card on my desk for Isaac Lahey, and every one of you losers is not only going to sign it, you're going to write a personal message so profound and deep, it's gonna bring a tear to Coach's eye," Coach instructs holding out a pen. "Who's first?"

        Danny stands up from the bench and takes up the pen.

        "Ah, Danny! That's how you do it, buddy," Coach comments. "Keep it PG."

        I offer Danny a thankful smile as he takes up the card and starts to write in it. I turn to look at Coach who seems utterly dumbfounded in how to comfort me. 

        "You know... you don't have to be here if you don't want to," Coach tells me with a shrug. "I can handle them on my own for a few more days if you want to go ahead and stay with Lahey for awhile." 

        "No, no... it's fine," I respond with a sigh. "I uh... I needed a distraction..." 

        I felt guilty as the words slipped out of my mouth and I'm quick to shift my mind away from that topic.

        "Thank you for the get well card... umm that was really sweet of you, Coach," I tell him before slipping out of his office and into the hallway. The noise from the locker room disappears as the door shuts behind me. I take a deep breath and let the silence of the hall surround me. I close my eyes for a brief second before my small peace is disrupted. 

        It didn't take long for Scott and the twins to hear it too as they rush out onto the hallway I was in. Ethan and Aidan rush ahead towards the basement while Scott backtracks to me.

        "It's one of Argent's emitters," Scott comments in which I nod. "I thought... maybe... maybe, it's Stiles."

        My mind seems to freeze at the mention of his name and I catch glimpses of Isaac's scarred face. My hand shakes slightly but I quickly turn it into a fist. I take a deep breath and look away from Scott. 

        "I uh... I have a practice to run," I whisper as I release the tension in my hand. "I'm sorry..." 

        Without another word, I turn away from Scott and make my way out of the school. I could sense his stare burning on my back as I walked away from him. I was surprised myself at my own reaction. I felt lost, unbalanced, and tired. I was supposed to be protecting these boys but Isaac got hurt and Stiles is possessed and I... I was failing.

        My hands begin to shake once more and I feel a tightening in my chest. The simple ability of breathing was becoming hard for me as I felt myself on the verge of crying once more. The urge to cry is quickly disrupted as the doors swing open and chatter fills the air. I quickly rub my swollen eyes and try to compose myself. Coach's voice rings in the air for everyone to get on the bus and from there on my mind switches off with the sole intent of getting through the day. 

*************

Third POV,  _Argent's Penthouse_

        The elevator bell rings and the metal doors slowly slide open. Chris walks out into the hallway and instantly notices the door of his loft is slightly open. He's quick to pull out his loaded gun and raises it up in front of him. Chris silently walks through the door and inspects the bare hallways closely. He slowly rounds towards his open office and puts down his gun at the sight in front of him. On his desk he finds an emitter stabbed into the center of his desk.   

        "Lose something?" Derek asks as he appears behind him in the hallway. Chris instinctively raises the gun and aims it at Derek. Derek just as quickly disarms him and draws his claws and places them on his neck. Chris pulls out the gun hidden on the back of his waistband and aims it at the temple of his head in reaction.

        "Why are you breaking into my apartment?" Chris asks him as his finger laid on the trigger.

        "Why are you leaving emitters in my loft?" Derek asks in return.

        Chris narrows his eyes in confusion at this, "I have no idea why that would be in your loft."

        It takes a second for Derek to acknowledge that he's actually telling the truth. He retracts his claws at the same time as Chris puts down his gun and turns on the safety.

        "I spent the entirety of the last two days trying to find Stiles," Chris tells him.

        "Any luck?" Derek asks as Chris approaches his desk and sets his gun down.

        "No."

        "Me either," Derek answers quietly. "Okay, we're both trying to find Stiles. Mind if I ask what you planned on doing if you find him?"

        "Well... that depends on which Stiles I find," Chris responds as he dislodges the emitter of his desk. He moves to put it away with the rest when he finds the cabinet in his office unlocked. His hand warily traces the broken lock. "Broken..."

        Derek watches him closely as he slowly pulls open the cabinet door and placed directly in the center was a silver case.

        "This isn't mine," Chris comments.

        Derek moves to grab it but Chris is quick to stop him.

        "Careful," he whispers as he slowly checks the surrounding area for any traps. He finds none so Chris pulls out the case and tentatively sets it on his desk. He slowly opens it to find it filled with stacks of money.

        "How much do you think that is?" Derek asks with narrowed eyes.

        "150,000," Chris comments knowing full well where this money came from. "But it doesn't make sense. We never took the money."

        "Whose money is it?" Derek asks him.

        "It belongs to a Yakuza named Katashi," Chris explains to Derek. "He has a nickname..."

        "You mean something like... _Silverfinger_?"

        Chris and Derek look up to find Agent Rafael McCall standing in the doorway with an evidence bag in his hand. Inside the transparent bag was a silver finger prosthetic.

        "Where did you get that?" Chris asks in concern.

        "Off Katashi's dead body." 

***************

Diana's POV,  _Cross Country Trail_

        The bus comes to a stop and everyone piles out. We all start off with a few stretches and once again I offer them the consolation prize if one of them is able to keep up with my pace or better yet surpass me. Few members of the team groan knowing that it was an unwinnable challenge and I look over at Coach to blow the whistle. The piercing sound echoes through the air and we all start off running. 

        I remain at the end and watch as the team slowly disperses in small groups depending on their pace. I quickly weave my way through some of them and start to lead them through the trail. Danny was at the lead at the moment before I easily passed him. I could hear him try to catch up to me but being unable to. 

        I kept going at my harsh pace as I tried to outrun all of the thoughts in my mind. Running tended to clear my mind of this clutter but everything that has happened still racked in my brain no matter how fast I ran. My disarray of thoughts is disrupted as I hear footsteps behind me and I find Kira just at my heels. 

        I eagerly accepted this distraction and started to push myself harder to keep the lead. It caught me by surprise that Kira still kept up behind me. I couldn't help the competitive smile that graced my face at this new challenge of competing with a kitsune. It was a race between a wolf and a fox and I had every intention of winning. Though the game only lasted a few seconds as I'm quickly tackled by a massive body. 

        "What the hell?" I exclaim as I find Aidan's face looking down at me. "What are you doing?!" 

        "Saving your life," Aidan responds casually as he pulls himself up. "You're welcome by the way." 

        I watch as he brushes himself off and makes his way back to the main trail. I quickly get up and follow after him to find Scott and Kira together. 

        "Oh, my God," Kira exclaims, "Did you see how fast I was running? I almost caught up to Diana!"

        "I felt it," Scott responds. "But we need to stop the others."

        "Why?" I ask him.

        The answer itself appears sprinting towards us as Stiles, Coach, and the rest of the team appears. 

        "Scott!" Stiles shouts motioning them to not move a step further. He looks down at the ground and his hands start to search through the fallen leaves. Stiles pulls up a silver chain and slowly begins to unravel it. We all wait in concern as the chain clinks against itself. After a few seconds, Stiles reveals that the chain led to nothing causing Coach to sarcastically slow clap for him.

        "Congratulations, Stilinski. You found a length of chain," Coach exclaims annoyed as he takes a step forward. "Can somebody now please tell me what the hell is going on?"

        It only took a split second... one step... to hear the click of a trap be set. Scott shouts beside me but his warning is too late as Coach stepped on a trigger string. Out of nowhere an arrow flies through the air and hits Coach in the abdomen. The scene unfolds slowly as Coach looks down with a blank expression on his face.

        "Oh, crap." 

        Coach's body leans back and no one was able to catch his body from hitting the ground. I break out of my frozen phase and instantly come to his side. My hands surround the arrow and I try to apply pressure. 

        "Get it out of me!" Coach instantly says in a panic. "Get it out of me! Get it out of me! Oh, my God, I'm gonna die! Get it out of me! I'm gonna die!"

        "Coach, you're not gonna die," Stiles quickly assure him as he drops next to him and places his hand over mine to help out. I involuntarily tense up at the contact and he takes notice. We both share a wavering look but Coach's continuation of panic exclamation distracts us once more.

        "I'm gonna die!"

        "It will hurt less if you stop moving, Coach," I tell him as I try to stop the bleeding.

        "Get that thing out of me!"

        "If I do that you _will_ bleed to death," I exclaim at him in an attempt to shut him up, but as I expected Coach continued to dramatically shout in anguish.

        "Stay still, Coach," Aidan tells him. "An ambulance is coming."

        "Get it out! I'm gonna die!"

        I look up at the surrounding crowd and sigh annoyed.

        "Everyone, get back!" I shout. "Give him some room! Get back!"

        The rest of the team take a few steps back and Scott is quick to place his hand on Coach's wrist. Dark veins creep up through his hand and Scott gasps before letting go. I look down at Coach and find him completely unconscious.

        "He just passed out," I point out before making sure his heart was still beating. Stiles removes his hands from mine and they start to shake at the sight of the blood stains on them.

        "...I could have killed him," Stiles whispers. "I could have killed him, right? What if it was his head or his throat?"

        "But it wasn't," Scott assures him. "And he's going to be alright."

        "I think I just heard an ambulance coming," Aidan comments as his head perks up. The siren can then be heard and I let out a sigh of relief.

        "...And my dad," Stiles whispers in concern. 

*************

Third POV,  _BH Police Station_

        Derek and Chris were seated next to each other on a bench waiting to be processed. They were both handcuffed to a nearby rail preventing them from escaping. The police department continued on in front of them as no deputy glanced over their way. Derek's head leans back and rests on the wall behind him. 

        "So, I don't suppose you have any idea why Stiles would frame us for murder?" Chris asks him.

        "I didn't think Stiles was smart enough to frame us for murder," Derek responds tiredly.

        "To be honest, I'm not entirely convinced that's why we're here," Chris comments as he scans the department with a searching gaze.

        "What do you mean?" Derek asks as glances over to him.

        "McCall is going to come out here any minute and probably talk attorneys," Chris explains to Derek. "Say you've agreed to allow mine to represent you."

        "Why should I trust your attorney?" Derek asks suspiciously.

        "Because I'm not calling my attorney yet," Chris tells Derek. "I just want more time."

        "To do what?" Derek asks him.

        "To figure out what we're really doing here," Chris asks with a concerned expression. 

        Derek sighs and looks down at the handcuffs latched around his wrists.

        "I could easily get out of these, you know," Derek comments as he tugs at the chain a bit.

        "So could I," Chris responds. "But I'm not interested in being a fugitive from the law."

        "Well, I'm not interested in being a victim to a 17-year-old possessed by a psychotic fox," Derek grits out.

        "Just give me a few more minutes," Chris whispers to him. Derek doesn't pay him any mind as he continues to tug at the handcuffs and Chris quickly snaps. "Derek!"

        "Okay, fine," Derek sighs out as he drops his hands in resignation. "If something happens, don't expect me to risk my life trying to save yours. I have someone to get back to..." 

        "So do I," Chris whispers as he thinks of Allison. 

        The conversation turns silent as both Derek and Chris mutually respected the other's response. They both had to come out of this alive for the ones they love. 

***************

Diana's POV,  _Cross Country Trail_

        I watch as Coach is loaded up into the ambulance. The EMT is kind enough to lend me some disinfectant wipes to clean the blood off my hands. I wave goodbye to a semi-conscious Coach before looking over at the Sheriff. The relief on his face could be clearly seen and I watched as he tightly embraced Stiles.

        "You're afraid of him," Scott comments behind me.

        I'm startled by his sudden appearance and I turn back to look at him.

        "What?"

        "Or you're angry," Scott frowns as he looks down. "Either way, you're not comfortable around him. Everyone could see that."

        I let out a sigh as I glanced over at Stiles before looking back at Scott. 

        "Something's not right with him, Scott," I tell him with a slight shake of my head. 

        "This is Stiles," Scott assures me. "This is him." 

        "Where has he been the past two days, Scott?" I ask him concerned. "He appears out of the blue and someone ended up getting hurt." 

        "Stiles came back to stop that from happening," Scott argues. "If it wasn't for him, more people could have gotten hurt. You saw the way that he was with Coach... he was afraid." 

        I felt a twisting in my gut and I look away from Scott. 

        "I don't know what to do," I whisper as I run my hand through my hair in distress. 

        "Trust me," Scott responds. "I know what I'm doing." 

        Before I could say anything, Ethan calls us over with an urgent expression on his face. 

        "Scott, you better look at this," Ethan exclaims. Scott and I find Ethan at the back of Stiles' jeep looking through the sports bag left behind. It revealed cut wires and wrapping paper.

        "This is the same wrapping paper we used for Coach's birthday present," Scott comments.

        "Wasn't that William Barrow's thing?" Ethan asks Scott. "A bomb made from nails and bolts all wrapped in a birthday present?"

        "Where did it go off?" I ask in concern.

        "On a school bus," Scott answers nervously. 

*****

Third POV, _BHHS_

        It didn't take long for all of them to get back onto school grounds. The entirety of the school had been evacuated and the parking lot was blocked off from everyone. A single yellow school bus remained parked and police officers rotated around it wanting to keep all of the students and concerned parents out of the way. Diana watched as the Sheriff was quick to bark out instructions and shouted to everyone to step back. 

        "Get them out of here!" the Sheriff exclaimed as he moved another group of students away from the bus. "Back those kids up! Move!"

        Stiles and Scott remained behind the police tape while Diana inched a bit closer to overhear a private conversation. Her eyes focused on the new deputy who was pulling out a bag of his own.

        " _We wait for the bomb squad."_

 _"I'm a certified HDT_ ," he tells him. " _Two years in the army. I can at least find out if this thing's real_."

        The Sheriff didn't argue with that and let the deputy change into his tactical gear. Sensing Diana's gaze, he looks up at her and gives her a grim smile. She simply responded with a nod as she turned her focus away from him and towards the deputy who was quickly preparing himself. 

        "Are you ok?" 

        Diana was already on edge that it wasn't that hard to catch her by surprise at the moment. This was twice in the same day which was a bit alarming at this point. 

        "Whoa there," Stiles states as he raised his hands up in surrender. "Didn't mean to scare you." 

        Stiles seems to fidget a bit which seemed like a genuine Stiles reaction to Diana, but something seemed off about it. 

        "What makes you say that?" Diana whispers as she turns her focus back on the deputy who was now ready to walk in.  

        "You've been avoiding me ever since I've come back..." Stiles points out. "I know you blame me for what happened to Isaac but I didn't know what I was doing. I still don't know if that could have actually been me..." 

        "Save it please," Diana responds as she rubbed her eyes tiredly. "I don't have the mental capacity to deal with this right now." 

        "Yeah, you're right... you're right," Stiles stutters out. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put more stuff on your plate. You have enough as it is." 

        A moment of silence occurs between them as Diana focused on the tactical-wearing deputy making his way inside the bus. 

        "Are you feeling ok?" 

        Diana let out another sigh as she glanced over at Stiles. 

        "This whole situation is stressing me out and I haven't been sleeping well ever since Isaac was hospitalized," Diana answers.

        "You've been emotional lately," Stiles points out causing Diana to glare at him. "You're showing emotions on your face. You never did that before..." 

        "I have better things to focus on than putting up a mask," Diana responds to Stiles. 

        "Yeah, yeah, you're right..." Stiles whispers. "I don't know... I was thinking it had to do more than that..." 

        As much as Diana didn't want to get to entrapped with Stiles, she was now interested in what was going on in that mind of his. 

        "Stop tiptoeing around the subject and just say what you want," she snaps at him. 

        "The thought of you being pregnant might have crossed my mind," Stiles responds sheepishly. "I mean... an influx of hormones can be the reason why you've been all over the place... and I don't mean that in a bad way!" 

        The idea of it all was overall crazy and Diana couldn't help but let a dry laugh pass her lips. 

        "I'm not pregnant, Stiles," Diana answers with a sigh. "Derek and I take our precautions." 

        "Sometimes those fail," he reminds her. "Derek and you are back together. You both have a nice place and money to spare. Both of you also tend to take care of the rest of us. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if it was true."         

        Stiles became silent after that and the idea remained brewing in Diana's mind. She couldn't believe that she was actually considering the possibility of this being true. Just the thought of it made her feel sick which just fed on to the idea that Stiles might actually be right.

        " _Huh, it's not a bomb, sir, but there is something in the box."_

Diana turns back to the deputy who was walking up to the rear window of the bus. He holds the Sheriff's name plaque against the back window of the bus.

        The Sheriff tenses up at the sight of his name and recalls the packages that had arrived this morning. He turns back to look at his son who was standing next to a confused Diana. 

        "My God," the Sheriff mutters. "There is a bomb, but not here." 

  
_BH Police Station_

        Chaos erupted in the police station in a matter of seconds. Derek and Chris remained chained to the bench waiting to hear what had occurred. Policemen continued to rush around with files and boxes filled with reports. No one was responding to any of their questions and Chris grew more concerned. 

        "What's happening?" Chris asked the policemen who was unlocking both of their handcuffs. He doesn't respond and Derek decides to listen in for some sort of anser in some distant conversations.

        "What's happening?" Chris asks him instead. 

        Derek overhears the words, bomb and explosive. He looks behind him, in the Sheriff's office, and hears the ticking that soon comes to a stop. 

        "Get down!" Derek shouts as he instinctively jumps to cover Argent from the debris exploding everywhere.

        The entire office explodes sending wood and glass splinters in different directions of the department. Shouts and groans of pain are heard throughout the station.

        Sheriff Stilinski arrives at the scene with Scott, Stiles, and Diana right behind him. They take in the mutilated scene in front of them as local policemen and women were begging for help.  

        "Get me an ambulance here at the Sheriff's station," Sheriff Stilinski ordered Deputy Parrish. "We've got an explosion. We got multiple officers down. Multiple officers down. We need an ambulance A.S.A.P. On the double."

        "First Aid Kit?" Diana asks the Sheriff as she tears of her jacket and puts it underneath a woman's head.

        "Under the front desk," the Sheriff answers as he looks around to see the extent of the damage.

        Diana sprints into action and grabs the kit. She walks back into the main room and finds Chris and Derek brushing themselves off from the debris.

        "What are you doing here?" Diana asks them both before taking notice of how Derek was barely able to keep his eyes open. He leans over and Chris is quick to catch him. Diana takes notice of the splinters and glass embbed all around his back.

        "Oh my God," she exclaims at the sight of it. She quickly opens the first aid kit and pulls out what she needed. "How did this happen?!"

        "He saved my life," Chris responds.

        "I'm ok," Derek assures Diana, but she wasn't having it. 

        "Take this and help anyone who needs it," Diana instructs Chris as she packs up the first aid kit and hands it to him. "I have to take care of this one." 

        Chris nods knowing that this was the least he could do after Derek took the hit for him. Diana quickly places Derek's arm over her shoulder and she starts to take him into a secluded area of the department. 

        "What the hell were you thinking?" Diana exclaims as she helped Derek out of his jacket. She pulled out the scissors and cut through his shirt before carefully easing it off his back. "You could have died! I don't need you being placed in the hospital as well. Do you know what that would do to me?" 

        Derek simply groaned as Diana poured alcohol all over his back and started to use the tweezers to pull out the embedded glass and wood splinters. 

        "I've been trying really hard not to break down today," Diana says as her voice begins to break. She pauses as she tries to force the tears back into her eyes. "Seeing you barely conscious is not helping..." 

        "I'm sorry..." Derek groans out. "Diana, I'm sorry." 

        Diana didn't respond as she tried to focus on pulling out the splinters quickly. She didn't want anyone to witness Derek miraculously healing. Once she got over the initial shock of it all, Diana came back to her previous question. 

        "What were you doing here anyway?" Diana asked him. "With Chris Argent no less..." 

        Derek was nearly fully recovered at this point and he knew that the answer would not fair well with her. 

        "Stiles framed us for Katashi's murder," Derek tells her. "I'm currently wanted for murder." 

        Derek looks over his shoulder as he feels Diana tense up at the answer. After a few seconds, she starts to pull out the last of the glass and moves in front of him. Derek had expected to see her crying at this point, but her face had returned to her usual expressionless mask. 

        "Ok," she answered as she found someone's bag. She opens it and pulls out a fairly clean t-shirt. "Put this on." 

        "That's all you're going to say?" Derek asked confused. 

        Diana was still stoic and the only evidence of what was occurring in her mind was the storm brewing in her dark eyes. 

        "I'll come visit when I can," Diana tells him as she pulls out her phone and begins to type out a text. "I'll bring you a spare of clothes and food." 

        "Diana..." Derek calls out to her. "I'm not staying here." 

        "Yes, you are," Diana responded as she looked up from her phone. "Stiles obviously wanted you here so you can get hit with this attack. If you walk out of here you're a wanted fugitive and I can't juggle you being in hiding and Stiles being... Stiles. The safest place for you is here where there are cameras and a guard at all times." 

        "Diana," Derek calls out once more, but she wasn't having it. She slipped her phone into her pocket and pulled Derek towards her. Her hand grazed his cheek and the mask she was wearing slipped away. 

        "I need you safe, Derek," she tells him. "If this is the safest place for you to be, then you need to stay here. I don't think I can bear seeing you hurt. I can't... I'll rather be alone if it means you'll survive this at the end of the day." 

        Diana presses a firm kiss on his lips disrupting Derek from coming up with a response. He closes his eyes and brings her closer to him. The click was enough to cause both of them to pull away. 

        "I'm sorry." 

        Derek was confused at her apology and watched as she sadly offered him a smile before turning to walk away. Derek moves to follow after her but is pulled back. He looks down and finds himself handcuffed once more to a nearby metal railing. 

        "Diana!" Derek shouts as he tugged at the silver handcuff. He watched as she talked to a deputy pointing at him directly. Any chance of breaking out was gone as the policemen moves towards him. Derek lets out sigh as he watched Diana walk out with her head held high. 

        She was on her own. 

*****

_ Animal Clinic _

With Kira's warning that the Oni were coming, Scott and Stiles were once again running against a clock. Stiles drove the Jeep at the highest speed he was able to with the pouring night rain. There was only one place they could go now that would offer them the protection they needed. 

        "It's an animal clinic?" Kira asked confused as Scott offered it up. 

        "Yeah, the place is lined with mountain ash," Scott explains. "Just like my house. It will buy us some time." 

        "But they can get through it?" Stiles clarifies.

        "Eventually," Scott answers.  

        "Nobody's got any better ideas?" Stiles asked gaining no answers. "Okay, sure. Animal clinic." 

        Stiles soon pulls up at the Animal Clinic and hastily stops the car. They all jump out and start to sprint towards the locked backdoors. The rain was pouring harshly and night had finally come upon them. Three Oni appear soon after wielding katanas in their hands. 

        "Stiles, get inside," Scott orders as he throws his keys at him. Stiles fumbles to catch them and quickly begins to unlock the doors. 

        Scott wolves out and growls at the Oni. He begins to avoid all of their attacks hoping it would give Stiles a chance to get inside. 

        " Hey, Kira, get inside!" Stiles shouts as he watched the young kitsune try to distract one of the Oni by throwing stray baskets at it. "Kira!"

        Scott continues to deflect the sharp edge of the katanas while Kira manages to catch the Oni's wielding arm and flips him around. The Oni slams against the cement floor and Kira stands above him breathless and surprised. The katana that it was once using flies into the air and Kira is quick to grab it. Another Oni comes to attack her but Kira swings under the katana and starts to fight him off with her own. She immobilizes both Oni and looks over at Scott. In his distraction, the Oni manages to stab him through his abdomen. 

        Kira drops the katana and quickly comes to his aid. She kicks the Oni away and catches Scott before he falls to the ground. Stiles comes out of the clinic and helps Kira in carrying him. 

        Scott gasps and groans in pain. Stiles and Kira set him against the examination table and watched as Scott trembled in pain. Kira quickly grabs the handle of the katana and starts to pull out. Scott grits his teeth in pain and tries to hold in his screams.

        All of a sudden, Stiles appears beside Kira and latches his hand onto her wrist. With a tight grip, Stiles forces Kira's hand away from the handle. Kira grimaces at the tight hold and stares at Stiles in shock. Before anything could be said, Stiles slams Kira's head onto the table, knocking her unconscious.

        Stiles lets out a breath and steps over her body. He stands in front of Scott who was looking at him in silent shock. Stiles' fingers tap the handle of the katana in a playful manner.

        "You okay?" Stiles asked him as he gripped the handle tightly.

        "Please, don't," Scott whimpered. " _Stop_."

        "It's okay," Stiles whispers as he placed his free hand on Scott's shoulder in a mock attempt of comfort. Stiles starts to shift the handle from side to side and Scott immediately begins to shout in pain. "Does it hurt? Hey, look at me."

        Scott looks up at Stiles who wore an amused expression.

        "You should have done your reading, Scott," Stiles chastised him. "See, a nogitsune feeds off chaos, strife and pain. This morning, you took it from Isaac, then you took it from Coach, and then from a dying deputy," Stiles reminds him. "All that pain. _You took it all_."

        Stiles expression shifts to one of desperate need. His hand latches onto Scott's face.

        "Now, give it to me."

        Scott starts to gasp as he felt the pain he took come back strongly before fading away into Stiles. Dark veins covered his face and Stiles shivered in ecstasy.

        "You really have to learn, Scott," Stiles states as he playfully slapped Scott's cheek. "You really have to learn not to trust a fox."

        Scott recalled everything that happened during the day and how Stiles was always standing next to him when it happened. He had trusted him... and that trust had failed him. 

        "Mmm-mmm," Stiles hummed as he saw the betrayal in Scott's eyes. "Know why? Cause they're tricksters. They'll fool you. They'll fool everyone."

        "Not everyone," Diana states causing Stiles to turn to look at her in surprise. Deaton is quick to place the injection under his ear and Stiles begins to grunt and gasp as the toxin ran through his body. Deaton catches his falling body while Diana moves to stand in front of a gasping Scott. She could tell his body was ready to go into shock. 

        Diana placed a firm grip on the katana's handle and quickly pulls it out of Scott. He gasps loudly in a mixture of pain and relief. Diana wipes the blood of the katana and sets the blade aside.

        "Wh-What was that?" Scott stutters out. "Was that a cure? Is he okay?"

        "The fox is poisoned," Deaton answers. "But it's not dead. Not yet." 

        "How did... how did you know?" Scott asked confused as he looked between Diana and Deaton. 

        "Diana and I had made this plan after some valuable intel from Chris," Deaton explained to him. "And with Stiles' disappearance, we hadn't been able to try out the poison until now when Diana texted me." 

        "Why didn't you tell me?" Scott asked as he looked over an emotionless Diana. 

        "You're an Alpha, Scott, but you still have much to learn," Diana answered him. "I trust you, but I trusted my instincts more which is something I learned from my time as a hunter. I knew you wouldn't believe me that Stiles wasn't himself. I knew you had to see that for yourself." 

        Scott quietly looked down at the unconscious Stiles in concern. 

        "So what now?" 

        Deaton just shrugged not knowing the answer himself. 

        "That's up to him."


	20. Echo House

_ Derek's Loft _

        My nose trailed the soft sheets covering the bed. I was wrapped in them and yet I could still feel the coldness seep through them. I let out a sigh as I realized my discomfort was due to the lack of someone laying next to me. I couldn't believe I had grown so accustomed to Derek sleeping next to me so quickly. Maybe that was why I was laying in his bed at the moment instead of staying at my perfectly fine apartment. The scent that lingered in his sheets brought some sort of peace to my distressed mind. 

        I shift to my side and look at the blinking clock sitting on the night table. It was 2:27 in the morning and I had been trying to sleep for hours now. I let out a sigh knowing the reason to my lack of sleep. It was all due to the plastic bag that laid right next to the bed. An impulse buy that I was now regretting in doing.  

        I sit up from the bed and move to pick the bag up. I shift through the candy bars and reach for the center of my distress. My hands meet the last of three pregnancy tests and I shake my head at the sight of it. I had taken one earlier that day and it had come out negative, the second one was earlier this night and had been positive. The last one would break the tense tie and I had been putting it off since. 

         _Why did I even buy this? What purpose would this give me?_

I make my way towards the bathroom and do what needs to be done. I let the stick rest far away from me as I washed my hands and face. I stare at my pale reflection in the mirror and could tell how drained I look. 

        Being alone these past few days, between visiting Isaac in the hospital and Derek being held in custody, didn't relieve me of any of the stress I was hoping to dispel. Stiles' situation was still ever present in my mind and I felt useless as I didn't know how to help him. 

        The timer on my phone goes off and I stop it. My hands shake as I set my phone aside and reached for the pregnancy stick. I take a deep breath and look down at the result. 

         _Two pink lines._

_Positive._

I throw the stick into the trash bin and immediately run a hand through my hair. I felt ready to hurl the contents in my stomach into the nearby toilet but I restrained myself as I took deep breaths to calm my fast beating heart. 

        "Everything's going to be ok," I repeated the mantra to myself. "Everything is going to be ok." 

        My mind momentarily settles and I come to the decision that I couldn't stay here a second longer. I grab my coat and slip on some sneakers before rushing out of Derek's loft. I start to sprint down the deserted streets and didn't care how fast I was going. Running tended to clear my mind in some way or another and I could feel myself returning to some kind of normalcy. I start to slow down as I see the hospital sign blinking in front of me. 

        The doors slide open and I instantly feel the gush of cold wind graze my warm skin. The bright lights of the hospital made me feel like I was under some sort of spotlight and I knew then that coming here was a brash decision. I quickly turn on my heels ready to forget this whole thing ever happened before I hear Melissa McCall calling after me. 

        "Diana? Is that you?" 

        I let a sigh pass my lips before placing a small smile on my face and turning around to face her.

        "Hey Melissa," I greet as I take notice of the blue scrubs she was wearing. She must still be working and of course, I walk in during her shift. 

        "Did you... did you run here all by yourself?" she asks concerned as she looked over my appearance. 

        "Uh, yeah," I whisper as I cross my arms over my chest. "It seemed like a good idea at the time." 

        "It's late for visiting hours," Melissa reminds me. "So what are you doing here?" 

        "I need you to uh- I need you to do something for me," I tell Melissa quietly. "Need you to keep it a secret and if possible off the hospital records." 

        Melissa narrows her eyes at my request and looks around her desk to make sure none of her coworkers were nearby to listen. 

        "Is this about what's going on with Stiles?" Melissa asks in concerned. "Is someone else hurt?" 

        "No," I answer as I look down at my shaking hands. I quickly shove them down into the pockets of my sweatshirt and slowly look up at her. "But I need this to remain between us and  _only_ us." 

        "Diana, you're worrying me," Melissa responds.

        I slowly meet her gaze and tried to convey how much I need this to be kept under wraps. 

        "Please," I tell her. "I need you to promise that you'll do as I requested." 

        Melissa hesitates but the desperate look on my face must have convinced her. 

        "Ok," she states. "What do you need me to do?" 

        "I need you to run a test for me," I tell her. "Just some simple bloodwork." 

        Melissa nods at the request and motions me into a vacant room. I take a seat on the bed and I see her pulling on some gloves before she grabs the syringes and tubes she needs for me. 

        "Is it ok for me to ask what you're doing this for?" Melissa asks me. "Seems very simple to me..." 

        I take my sweatshirt off and roll my sleeve up so Melissa could tightly wrap the elastic band around my arm. 

        "I uh... I don't know why it's hard for me to answer your question," I sigh out with a nervous chuckle. "It's very simple actually but it scares the shit out of me to say it out loud." 

        Melissa looks at me in concern as she disinfects my arm and prepares the needle. 

        "I took some drugstore pregnancy tests earlier today," I confess to her causing her to pause in her preparation. "Two of them came up positive and one of them came up negative." 

        Another nervous chuckle passes my lips before I wince slightly as the needle breaks my skin.

        "I didn't really trust those odds," I tell Melissa. "So I knew this was the only way I can find out the real truth." 

        I watch as the tube starts to fill up with my blood before Melissa quickly pulls it out and sets it aside. She removes the needle from my arm and cleans off my arm. The wound easily heals itself and Melissa forgoes the band-aid. She releases the elastic band from my arm and takes off her plastic gloves with a loud snap. 

        I could see as she was cleaning up that her mind was clouded with a storm of thoughts. I could relate with the same sensation.

        "I'm not ready for this, am I?" I ask her quietly. "I mean... it surely wasn't planned." 

        "Have you told Derek?" Melissa asked me instead.

        The silence I offered was answer enough for her.

        "Have you even discussed the issue of having a family with him at all?"

        Once again, the silence was all that I had to give. Melissa ignored my waiting gaze and placed a label on my blood and set it aside. She slowly looks up with arms crossed over her chest. 

        "I can rush your bloodwork so that you can get the results at the latest this evening," Melissa tells me. "I suggest you use that time to talk to Derek about this and prepare him for the possibility of it being true."  

        I could feel my stomach twisting and turning with nervousness. I pull the sweatshirt back on and stared at the tiles on the floor as I couldn't even muster up the courage to look up at Melissa. I was just out the door when her voice stops me once more. 

        "You go through great lengths to protect the ones you care, so if I'm being honest," she starts off as she looks at me with a small smile. "You would make a great parent, Diana. You and Derek." 

        ************

Third POV,  _Eichein House_

         Returning to himself had been like waking up from a long dream except for Stiles never really went to sleep. Stiles couldn't help but feel like he was in a rendition of Fight Club since he was fighting for control of his own body with an evil twin. Just the idea of it all made him disgusted and more tired than he already was. Knowing what was best for him, Stiles voluntarily signed himself in for Eichein House in hopes that something can be found to save him from himself.

        The darkness of Eichen House didn't help ease his transition there. The place already had a bad name and Stiles couldn't help but feel stressed as he walked down the halls. He spots a figure down a hallway that quickly disappears and Stiles wonders if it all had been a part of his imagination.

        "Stiles?" the nurse calls out to him. Stiles turns to look at her and she offers him a small smile. "This way, please." 

        She starts to lead him up the stairs and Stiles trails after her. 

        " _I'm the part of the bird that's not in the sky_." 

         Stiles hears the ramblings and wonders if his mind is playing tricks on him once more. He warily looks up at the ceiling and sees an outline of a man playing with a braided rope.

        "Hey, do you see that?" Stiles asks the nurse who ignores him. 

        Stiles looks up at the man once more wondering if what he was seeing was true or not. 

        " _I'm the part of the bird that's not in the sky."_

Having a better view, Stiles sees that it is a man and that he was tying the rope around the stair's banister. He passes the nurse and rushes up the stairs. 

        "Stiles, wait for me," the nurse calls after him. 

        " _I'm the part of the bird that's not in the sky_." 

        Stiles sees as the man places a noose around his neck. 

        "That guy up there," Stiles exclaims in concern as he sprints up the stairs.

        " _I can swim in the ocean, yet still remain dry. I can swim in the ocean, yet still remain dry. I can swim in the ocean, yet still remain dry..."_

        "Stop!" Stiles shouts after him as he watches the man shakily stand on the stair's banister. "Somebody stop him!" 

        The man jumps from the banister and his neck snaps instantly. Stiles watches the body slowly swing back and forth and the loud murmurs coming from below. The nurse finally catches up to him and gasps at the hanging body. 

        Stiles didn't know what prompted him to look down at the crowd created below. He watched as other fellow nurses tried to calm down the shaken patients yet one of them stood out from the rest. A lone figure that remained in the outskirts wasn't watching the body but instead watching him and Stiles immediately knew that his decision to come here was a grave mistake. 

***********

Diana's POV,  _Animal Clinic_

        We were all crowded in Deaton's office as he placed Chris' call on speaker. My focus was in and out through the whole call as I thought over the awaiting results. I look over at Scott and Allison trying to see if they caught sight of my distraction but both were too focused on the discussion between Chris and Deaton. 

        " _Did you have any trouble with Ikeda?"_

"Only minor," Deaton responds. "The white wolf was exactly where you said it would be, but we have two problems now. First, the lichen is not a cure. It'll wear off in a matter of days." 

        " _But while it does work, the Oni won't go after Stiles, right?"_ Chris asks in concern. 

        "I hope," Deaton answers. "Eichen House has an unusual history. It might not be all that safe for the Oni there as well." 

        " _What's the second problem?"_

 _"_ I checked with your contacts in Japan," I add in. "The Yakuza Boss you saw killed by the Oni never found the scroll."

        "What scroll?" Scott asked. 

        "A Shugendo Scroll," Deaton answered. "The Shugendo were the ascetic mystics of Japan."

        " _The scroll had information on how to exorcise a Nogitsune,"_ Chris explains. 

        "So we need to find that scroll?" Scott clarifies. 

        "Exactly," I answer. "And I did get a name of the man who last purchased it. _Kincaid."_

"He was with Katashi," Allison pipes in. "He's the guy who met with Isaac to buy the gun."

        "Sounds like Katashi wanted the scroll for himself," Deaton states.

        " _But Stilinski already told me nothing like it was found among his things,"_ Chris tells us.

        "And a paranoid like Katashi would keep it close," I state with interest. "Probably on him at all times."

        "What does a Shugendo Scroll look like?" Allison asks us. 

        Deaton rolls back in his chair and takes out a scroll from the filing cabinet behind him. He holds it up for Allison to see. 

        "Something like this." 

        "Do these come in different sizes?" Allison asks.

        "Any size," Deaton answers.

        "Then I think I know where it might be," Allison answers with a relieved sigh. 

        Allison starts to explain her theory on where the scroll might be and I become distracted as my phone begins to vibrate in my back pocket. I quickly reach for it and find that it was just a text notification from Coach about an upcoming meet. I let out a sigh and place my phone back in its place as I try to get my mind off the bloodwork results. 

************

Third POV,  _Eichen House_

        Stiles watched the night go by with eyes wide open. He felt tired but not enough to warrant any kind of sleep. The sun's rays soon come reaching through the barred window in his room and Stiles continued to watch it rise. The whole place was silent and Stiles couldn't wait to get out of this locked room. 

        "Have you been awake all night?" Oliver, his temporary roommate, asked him from his restrained position in bed. 

        "Yeah," Stiles sighs out in response. "I can't sleep without my pillow." 

        Oliver begins to obnoxiously cough and Stiles turns his focus on him. 

        "You okay?" 

        "I swallowed a bug the other day," Oliver answered as his coughinig seized. "You ever do that? I keep coughing. Like it's still in my throat." 

        "That's disgusting, Oliver," Stiles sneers before his gaze shifts to the door. "You don't have any idea when they unlock the doors, do you?" 

        A metal click occurs right after he said that and footsteps echo around the hall. 

        "Now," Oliver answers as if Stiles still needed to know. 

        A nurse came in and checked in on Stiles and Oliver. They untied Oliver from the restraints he had on and they reminded them of their rights around Eichen House. Instantly, Stiles asked Oliver to take him to the nearest available phone. Oliver took it upon himself to give Stiles a tour while they were at it and they headed outside into the recreation center. 

        "Most of the people here are okay. The violent ones are in the closed unit," Oliver explains to Stiles. "That's Hillary. She has OCD. That's Gary. He thinks he's Jesus Christ. Dan. Also Jesus. That's Mary..." 

        "Mary Magdalene?" Stiles offers up. 

        "No, she also thinks she's Jesus," Oliver tells him. "You'd be surprised how many Jesuses we get."

        "Not really," Stiles replies as he brushed off the information and took notice of the phone booth down the hall. Someone was currently using it and so he patiently waited for it.

        "Hey, how come you want to use the phone already?" Oliver asked him. 

        "Cause after one night, I've changed my mind about this place being safe for me," Stiles answers. "Or anyone...Ever." 

        Stiles approaches a bit closer to the phone booth and can't help but overhear the conversation that the woman was having. 

        "No, No, I think you're wrong," she whispers into the phone. "I really think I should tell them. They're going to want to know the story. The whole story. I really think they should know. Yes, I do."

        Stiles didn't care much for the conversation until it took a twisted turn.

        "One of them is standing right behind me." 

        Shortly after, she hangs up the phone and silently walks past them. 

        "Who was that?" 

        "That's Meredith," Oliver answered. "She's a little weird." 

        "You're a little weird," Stiles responded. "She's a _lot_ weird." 

        Stiles moves towards the phone booth and picks up the phone. He starts to dial Scott's number but doesn't hear anything coming from the receiver's end. Stiles looks down at the phone and sighs. 

        "It's dead." 

        "Yeah," Oliver responded nonchalantly. "They turn off all the phones for 24 hours after a suicide." 

        "Why didn't you tell me that before?" Stiles asks annoyed. 

        "Why didn't you ask?" Oliver prompts with instead. Stiles shakes his head at him and walks outside once more. "What are you going to do now?" 

        "I'm getting out of this nuthouse," Stiles answered as he noticed Oliver was following after him.

        "That's not really the appropriate way to describe a facility like this," Oliver commented.

        Stiles didn't pay him much mind as he recognized a face in the crowd. 

        "Malia?" Stiles asked as he stepped towards her secluded location. She looks up at him with a burning gaze but this doesn't deter Stiles at all. "Hey, it's Stiles. Do you remember me? I'm friends with Scott." 

        She doesn't say anything and continues to stare at him. 

        "Remember?" Stiles continued. "We were the ones who helped you out with..." 

        Her face contorts in anger and she's quick to punch Stiles across the jaw. Stiles grunts in pain and falls onto the floor due to the harsh and unexpected hit. 

        "Hey, Malia!" some nurse shouts from afar. 

        "No!" Malia shouts as two orderlies start to restrain her. 

        "Hey, what the hell?" Stiles shouts as another orderly starts to pin him down, pressing his face through a metal grate on the floor. "She hit me." 

        "A few more like this, Malia, and you're headed to the closed unit," the orderly warned as he steered her away. 

        "Okay, wait, wait, wait, stop," Stiles pleads as the orderly continued to hold him down. "I didn't do anything."

        Stiles gaze goes through the metal grate and he struggles to breathe as he recognizes the setting below. His mind returns to the few remembered dreams that he's had in the past couple of weeks. The one dream were he was stuck in a cold basement. He wanted to remember more but his thoughts are disrupted as a loud voice comes into the mix.

        "Enough!" 

        The crowd around the fight dissipates as Ms. Morrell walks into the scene. The orderly that had Stiles pinned down releases him instantly and Stiles struggles to get up. 

        "Stiles," she calls out to him in concern. "You saw something, didn't you?"

        Stiles slowly looks up to her, shaken at the memory and the reality of the situation.

        "That basement," Stiles whispers to her. "I've been down there before." 

 

_BH Police Station_

        Derek and Chris sat with their backs against each other as they remained alone in each of their cells. They've been placed here ever since the bomb went off and were only getting updates through their daily phone call and eavesdropping on the conversations given in the station. 

        "Still nothing?" Chris asks the focusing werewolf who doesn't answer. "Derek?" 

        "Hold on," Derek responds as he finally finds a conversation worth listening to.

        Further down the hall, at the reconstructed main office, an officer starts to ask the deputy in charge a question.

        " _Hey, where's the Sheriff?"_

 _"Stilinski's out for the day,"_ Parrish responds. " _So the Katashi murder is now a Federal Investigation. Everything here that wasn't blown up needs to be placed in lockup."_

        Having heard enough, Derek opens his eyes and lets out a sigh. 

        "You were right," Derek tells Chris. "They're moving all the evidence." 

        "Was there anything about the murder itself?" Chris asks him. "Any other details?" 

        Derek simply shakes his head.

        "Just about putting Katashi's things in a Federal Lockup and something about Stilinski being out for the day," Derek responds before he let out another sigh. "You know, if all of this is true, people are dead because of Stiles." 

        "But is it really Stiles?" Chris asked him in hopes that would clear up Stiles' name. "Remember, we've had this problem before."

        "But we got lucky with Jackson," Derek reminds him. "What happens when you don't get lucky?"

        "I guess it depends on how much or how little of Stiles is left," Chris responds. "You ever heard of the Berserkers?" 

        "Germanic warriors," Derek answers. "They wore the skins of bears to channel their ferocity." 

        "They didn't just wear them... They _became_ them," Chris states. "You know, a couple of years ago, a family came to us for help with their son. This group of teenagers, they were doing all sorts of rituals with animal skins. Somehow they tapped into it. But with Berserkers, the human side doesn't last long. They're not tempered by the moon." 

        "He killed people?" Derek asks him. 

        "He tore them apart," Chris described. "Eventually, I had to tell the family their son was gone. It took three of us to take him down. Almost every bullet we had. And when it was over, I felt no remorse. _None._ I knew that kid was long gone."

        "Would you feel any remorse putting Stiles down?" Derek asks him with a bit of disdain. 

        "Stiles? Yes," Chris responds. "But not a Nogitsune." 

*************

Diana's POV,  _Argent's Penthouse_

        The keys clinked against each other as I tried to balance take out it one hand and open the locked door with the other. After a few seconds, I manage to unlock the front door and I slowly push it open. I hear the click first and look up to find the arrow etched onto the wooden door. My gaze shifts forward and I find Allison holding up her crossbow towards my direction. 

        I look at the arrow and then at her before letting out an annoyed sigh.

        "Your aim seems to be getting worse," I comment as I rip the arrow out of the front door. I press the arrow onto her chest and make my way towards the kitchen. 

        "What are you even doing here?" she asks me in displeasure as she sets the crossbow aside. 

        "Your father wanted me to check in on you," I answer as I take out the containers out of the bag. "Wanted to make sure you're eating and still keeping up with your studies." 

        "I'm capable of taking care of myself," Allison argues. "I don't need you babysitting me." 

        "Look," I exclaim a bit annoyed by her attitude. "Your father basically stopped Gerard from outing me to my family, I owe him my life. The least I could do is return the favor and protect his little hunter princess." 

        Allison rolls her eyes at me and I ignore it as I shove the Chinese food towards her and slap some chopsticks next to her. 

        "Don't make me force feed you," I threaten. "It won't be pretty." 

        Allison begrudgingly picks up the chopsticks and starts to eat. I head towards the fridge and pull out a root beer for myself. I twist the cap off and take a quick drink as I check my phone in hopes of getting an update from Melissa. Nothing shows up and I let out a sigh. 

        "Is something wrong?" Allison asks causing me to look up at her. I could see that she had been looking at my phone so I quickly pocket it. Her eyes narrow suspiciously at me for the action. "Is this about Isaac?" 

        "I checked on him this morning," I tell her tiredly. "He's still in a coma." 

        Allison nods at this but doesn't resume her eating. I waited for her to move but she remained silently pensive. 

        "What's going on with you?" I ask as I stared her down. 

        Allison immediately begins to pick at her food and tries to ignore my gaze. Her eyes flicker to mine for a second and she finally stops playing with her food. She let out a heavy sigh as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. 

        "I know you and I have never been in good terms and I know it didn't make anything better when Isaac got hurt protecting me," Allison states. "But I care about him and I have the right to visit him. You can't hide him from me." 

        "So this is you making a stand, huh?" I ask as I took sip from my root beer. "Interesting..." 

        "I'm not in a joking mood," Allison grits out. "Put me on the visitor's list like you said you would." 

        I play with the label of the bottle as I thought over her request. I slowly set the bottle onto the table and look up to meet her awaiting gaze. 

        "Guess it's true," I state after a while. "Distance does make the heart grow fonder." 

        "What are you talking about?" 

        "I heard rumors that you and Isaac might or might not be together," I respond. "And knowing your history with Scott made me weary of you dating Isaac." 

        "We're not... I mean..." Allison stutters out. "I just care about him!" 

        "As do I," I answer with a nod. Studying the teenager in front of me made me finally put the nerves I had pertaining to her to rest. "I'll put your name on the visitor's list when I head over to the hospital later tonight." 

        "Can I come with you?" Allison asks me as she throws away her finished plate. 

        "No," I answer too quickly for my liking. Allison looks at me with a questioning gaze and I let out a sigh as I try to come up with a plausible lie to tell. "I have some personal errands to do before I head over there." 

        "Ok..." Allison replies hesitantly. 

        "As of tonight, you'll be able to visit Isaac whenever you want," I tell her as a knock disrupts the end of my sentence. I look over at the front door as the knocking seized. "Were you expecting someone?"

        "Yeah," she answers calmly. "Lydia was going to come over and help me map out a plan for tonight's heist." 

        "Tonight's heist?" I ask confused. "Why am I not aware of this?" 

        Allison looked at me with a concerned expression. 

        "I started talking about this at Deaton's office... you were right there," Allison points out as her eyes narrowed down at me. I pinch the bridge of my nose as I tried to come up with a believable excuse. "What is going on with you?" 

        I don't offer her a response and instead make my way to the front door to open it. Lydia doesn't even off. Allison motions for Lydia to set up in her father's office before turning to me with a suspicious look. I knew Allison still awaited an answer to her question but I had no intention in answering it. 

        I cleaned up the kitchen while the girls went over some sort of plan for tonight's apparent heist for Silverfinger's prosthetic finger. I let out a sigh as I overheard the details that were going through in the office. I knew then that I couldn't join in on their mission. Not only did it conflict with my visit with Derek and the impending appointment with Melissa, but I wasn't in any shape or form ready for a fight tonight. 

        Another knock resonates through the apartment and I could sense the familiar werewolves standing behind the door. Allison comes out of her father's office and opens the front door for them. She immediately starts giving them a rundown of her plan.

        "My father said all of the Katashi evidence is being moved to a Federal Lockup by armored car tonight," Allison explains to them. "Probably within the next few hours." 

        Scott nods in greeting to me as he takes notice of me walking out from the kitchen. 

        "We're going to rob an armored car?" Aidan exclaims as it was his first time hearing this. Lydia steps out of Chris' office with a small smirk on her face. 

        "Well, we're going to try." 

        They all huddle around Chris' desk where Lydia has marked the path of the Federal armored car. Allison and Lydia start to give them a rundown of the plan they had created and waited patiently for Scott's response to it. Scott looked conflicted as he stared down at the map. 

        "This is a really bad plan," Scott comments.

        "It's not that bad," Lydia argues. 

        "It's not that good," Aidan agrees as he paced around the desk while his brother just sighs tiredly in his seat.

        "None of us knows the route they're going to take," Lydia explains to them. "If Allison can get one of her dad's GPS trackers on the armored car then we can follow it. So when it gets here..." 

        Lydia points to an x-mark on the map and Ethan looks over beside her with a scowl. 

        "We attack them?" he offers up. 

        "No," Lydia answer as she turns to look at him. "Your bikes will be in the middle of the road, looking like you guys got into an accident. And when the driver gets out to help..." 

        "We attack him?" Ethan offers up again. 

        "No," Allison and Lydia shout at the same time. "You'll distract him and Scott will break open the back door." 

        "I hope..." Scott sighs out as I could see him get lost through the complexities of this plan. Lydia then turns to look at me. 

        "And you'll get Katashi's finger," Lydia orders. 

        "I'm not going to be able to join you tonight," I state without meeting any of their gazes. "I already have plans for tonight." 

        "Doing what?" Allison questions. 

        "I have to visit Derek today and update him on what's going on," I answer honestly. "Then I have to stop by the hospital."   

        "Ok," Lydia sighs out. "Then Aidan, you're going to retrieve his finger."

        "It's not his actual finger, is it?" Aidan asks with a disgusted expression. Scott snaps towards Lydia as well concern etched on his face. 

        Lydia's face showed complete regret as she watched her plan unfold.

        "We are so out of our league." 

        "Why aren't we just going to Stilinski for help?" Aidan asks us. 

        "Because if he gets caught, then it's the Sheriff tampering with federal evidence," Scott explains to him. 

        "Guys, this is going to work," Allison tells them. "We can do this. We're losing Stiles. My Dad's in jail for murder. We need to do this." 

        Hearing the determination in her voice gave me the push I needed to get off my ass and actually lend a hand. If I wasn't going to help them with the physical altercation, then I can at least help with the mental. 

        "Ok, your plan has a lot of holes in them but it has a good base," I tell Lydia and Allison as I peer over the map. "It all depends on this one focus here," I state as I point to the location of the road Lydia had mentioned earlier. "If we wait a bit longer, the armored car heads towards a bridge. This gives us a better advantage because it blocks him completely from all sides."

        "But that makes it harder for Scott and Aidan to come in unseen," Allison points out.

        "Not if they hide their bikes under the bridge and climb up," I tell her. "From this point, the guard will be distracted, then unarmed, and then Aidan and Scott can retrieve the finger. They'll make their way under the bridge before the guard notices anything which gives them an easy getaway if things go wrong."

        "This seems less risky," Ethan comments with Aidan nodding alongside him. 

        "Yeah," Scott responds. "I agree." 

        Allison and Lydia look pensive as they look over the map and I wait for their response. Lydia simply shrugs and nods at the change while Allison lets out a sigh before reluctantly agreeing. 

        "Ok then," I state as I stared at all of them. "Get ready for your first heist." 

***************

Third POV, _Eichen House_

        Stiles couldn't stop shaking the feeling that he was being watched. Even though he was in some group therapy and everyone glanced over at him at some point for being a new face, Stiles could still feel unwanted eyes on him. He glanced over his shoulder and immediately turned away when he caught sight of the nogitsune. He desperately wanted to pay attention to the topic being discussed but Stiles could still see it from the corner of his eyes. 

        At some point Dr. Morrell asks him a question and Stiles offers her a vague answer. Stiles' hand shake as they reach for the collar of his shirt feeling the soft material sting on his shoulder. 

        "I'm sorry, everyone, but we need to take a break," Dr. Morrell states as she snaps her book closed. Her eyes trail the scarring that was barely visible on Stiles' neck. "Come with me, Stiles. I'd like to talk to you for a minute." 

        The group breaks away around the recreation room and Stiles follows Dr. Morrell towards her office. She was focused on the scars on his neck and Stiles had no choice but to show her how they reached all across his back. 

        "It's called a Lichtenberg figure," Dr. Morrell explains to him as she trails the red scar. "They appear on lightning strike victims." 

        Stiles immediately pulls his shirt down and hides the scar away. He turns to Dr. Morrell waiting to hear an explanation for it.  

        "The fact that they're appearing on you after a shot of Wolf Lichen is both significant and strange." 

        "By significant and strange do you mean hopeful and optimistic?" Stiles asks her. 

        "When the marks fade, the Nogitsune's grip over you will return," Dr. Morrell warns him as she makes her way behind her desk to the locked cabinet. She unlocks it with a single key and pulls out a bottle of white pills. She hands them over to Stiles who inspects them. 

        "What are these? Sleeping pills?" 

        "Amphetamines," Dr. Morrell answers. "Sleeping is exactly what you don't want to do. You're vulnerable when you're asleep."

        "So all I have to do is stay awake?" Stiles asked confused. 

        "For now," Dr. Morrell responded. "If your friends haven't figured out something by the time those marks are gone, I'll come find you." 

        "To tell me what to do?" Stiles nervously asks hoping it won't get to that point. 

        "No, to give you an injection," Dr. Morrell answers. "Pancuronium Bromide. It causes respiratory paralysis." 

        "That sounds a lot like death," Stiles comments.

        "It's used for lethal injection, yes." 

        "So when the Nogitsune takes over, you're going to kill me?" Stiles asked in disbelief. 

        "I'm going to do what I've always done." Dr. Morrell tells him. " _Maintain the balance_." 

        "Okay then," Stiles sighs out. "I've missed our talks. Thanks for the illicit drugs." 

        Dr. Morrel knew that his sarcasm was a simple defense tactic to distract him of what was going on. She did feel pity for the young boy but it wasn't enough for her to warrant a mistake. 

        "Stiles," she calls out to him once more as he turns to leave. "Stay awake." 

*****

        Stiles mindlessly roamed the halls after his discussion with Dr. Morrell. The pills were shoved into the pockets of his sweatpants and Stiles could hear them rattle with each step he took. The halls he managed to find himself in are empty of guards, nurses, and orderlies which meant he was going in the right direction. He stops when he finds the door to the basement and walks over to it. 

        His hand reaches for the knob and he twists it. The doorknob doesn't move at all and Stiles could feel the lock in place. He tries to shove the door open but it remained closed. 

        Oliver, who had snuck up on him, told him that the door was locked and the only way to get in was to steal Brunski's keys. Stiles lets out a sigh at hearing this and makes his way out of there. Oliver continues to follow after him but Stiles manages to lose him as he ducks into the boy's bathroom. 

        "Okay," Stiles mumbles to himself as he walked over to the sink and turned on the faucet. "Okay, just got to stay awake, Stiles."

        He splashes cold water in his face and looks up at the mirror.

        "You just gotta stay..."

        The sentence gets caught on his throat as he takes notice of Malia taking a shower right behind him. He immediately looks away from her gaze.

        "Don't worry, Stiles," she calls out to him. "You didn't just accidentally walk into the Girls' Room."

        "Thank God," he whispers to himself as he tried to avoid looking up into the mirror. "Um... Okay, so what are you doing in the boy's room?" 

        "Showering." 

        "I can see that," Stiles stutters out before cringing. "I mean I _saw_ that. Well, actually I didn't see anything really. I just... There was too much steam to, uh... Not that I would prefer there to be less steam..."

        "Stiles, I don't care," Malia exclaims over her shoulder. "In the woods, there was no Boys' and Girls' Room. And if you really need to know, they keep the water temperature in the Girls' Room too low. It's much hotter in here. Ever since I turned back to human, I just can't seem to get warm." 

        "Maybe you just have a low core temp," Stiles responds as he turns to look away from her. "You know, you might just be sick or..." 

        "I used to have a fur coat," Malia reminds him causing Stiles to shut up instantly. 

        "Or, it could be... Hey, it might be that," Stiles mutters with a shake of his head. "It's probably that."

        The shower stops running and he hears Malia step away. He glances over and finds her still naked as she reached for her towel.

        "Now you're staring," she comments causing Stiles to quickly turn his gaze away.

        "No, I'm not." 

        "Then what are you doing?" Malia asks him as she stands next to him.

        Stiles slightly looks over at her and sighs in relief when he finds her covered up.

        "Uh... I was kind of wondering why you punched me." 

        "Did you think I was going to thank you?" Malia snaps at him. 

        "No..." Stiles tells her before quickly changing his mind. "Maybe... We did kind of save your life." 

        "You're right, Stiles. _Thank you_." Malia states leading Stiles to offer her a small smile. "Thanks for invading my home. For putting me on the run. For turning me back to human so that I could look at my father every day and try to figure out how to explain to him that the reason my sister and mother are dead is because I almost ate them on a full moon. _Thank you so very much_." 

        The smile on Stiles' face quickly fades away after hearing all of that.

        "We were just trying to help," Stiles tries to explain to her.

        "You want to help me?" Malia asks him in which Stiles nods. "Find a way to change me back."

        "You want to go back?" Stiles asks in surprise. "To being a coyote?" 

        His mind quickly went straight towards Diana who could easily slip between her wolf form and her human form. The look on his face was answer enough for Malia as she quickly grabbed his arms to keep him in place. 

        "What do you know?" 

        "I might know somebody who could teach you how to change," he tells her.

        "Okay," Malia responds. "What do you want?" 

        "I need to get into the basement," Stiles tells her. "Which means that I need to get the keys off of that orderly, _the big one.._." 

        "Brunski," Malia responds with a nod knowing who he was talking about. 

        "You help me, and I'll help you." 

*************

Diana's POV,  _Diana's Apartment_

        I washed the used pots and pans before setting them on the drying rack. I take off the apron I used and set it aside on the kitchen counter. I check the timer once more making sure I still had time to shower and change before heading towards the police department and coming clean to Derek once and for all. 

        I would be a complete mess if I hadn't forced myself to be proactive at my time spent alone. I did a few loads of laundry, planned out next week's Cross Country schedule, and started cooking Derek's dinner. I was about to head upstairs to my room when I hear the knocking on my door.

        I let out a sigh as I descend my stairs and open the front door to reveal Scott and Kira. I look at both of them in question as I let them inside my apartment. 

        "What's with the impromptu visit?" I ask them as Kira looks around my apartment with amazement. Scott quickly nudges her side and she returns her focus on me. 

        "Ok, I know our plan for tonight is very risky, but I need your help on this," Scott tells me before glancing over at Kira who pulls out her cased katana. "Kira wants to help us tonight and she says she's been practicing. She's pretty good, but I wanted to hear your opinion before letting her in on this." 

        I was surprised at Scott's request. He was the Alpha and he could make decisions on his own but coming to for help was what set him aside from the rest. Scott valued the pack's opinion and knew when to ask for help. It was one of the reasons Scott was not just an Alpha, but a _True_ Alpha. 

        "Ok," I answer as I head towards the open area of my living room. I remove the decorative rug and set it aside on the wall. Kira and Scott wait for me in the middle of the secluded area as I pull out the katana that Scott had been impaled with. 

        "Is that...?" 

        "Yes," I answer Scott's question before he could finish. "To my surprise, it hasn't disappeared so I kept it." 

        Scott looked at it with a mixture of horror and surprise before looking up at me. 

        "It's been a while since I've used one of these," I confess to both of them. "I might be a little rusty." 

        I swing the sword around me and make a spin as I swipe the sword down with ease. Scott and Kira look at me in shock. 

        "You call that rusty?" Kira asks as she nervously swallows. I simply shrug in response as I motion her to get ready. Scott steps out of the way and we both start to circle with each other. 

        "How do you know how to use that exactly?" Scott asks from the exterior of our designated practice field. His face showed a deep concern for the girl in front of me. 

        "I was trained for every situation and occasion," I tell him. "I had to master a lot of weapons to pass my initiation." 

        Kira seems to believe that my discussion with Scott was distracting enough to launch an attack as she swings her sword at me. I quickly block her hit and shove her sword back to her. Her intention was an amateur move, but she was also facing a highly trained hunter so it might have worked on a lesser opponent. 

        We circle each other once more and I could see it in her eye that she was trying to anticipate my next move. Having waited enough, I quickly lunge towards her and my katana swings down. Kira's quick to bring her sword up and moves out of the way. I roll my momentum away and quickly block her incoming hit. 

        Kira's quick on her feet and her blocks are accurate but weak. As for her attacks, they were strong but ill-timed. She had a lot to improve but she was better than most. Especially as she had just started training with the katana. Sweat starts to pour down my neck as Kira continues to deflect my hits. 

        The timer in the kitchen goes off and I let out a sigh. 

        "As much as I would love to continue this on, I gotta cut this short," I state as I shove Kira's sword off mine. I swing the katana in my hand as I gained my breath. "I can't have Derek's dinner burning." 

        Kira seems worried at my statement and she had every right to be. I had every intention of ending this here and now. 

        My attacks come stronger and faster than before. Kira blocks them all but I could see her strength vanishing after each one. Sparks start to fly as the sword's edge hit each other. Our grunts and groans echo through my apartment as I force Kira to take a step back with every incoming hit.

        My sword hits hers and her katana flies out of her hand and clatters on the floor next to us. Kira's eyes widen in alarm and she quickly tries to reach for it but I'm quick to shove her towards the opposite direction. Her back hits the wall and I quickly make a spin before letting the katana dive through the wall. 

        "Kira!" Scott shouts in alarm. 

        Both of our breaths were heavy but I knew Kira's breathing was due more to the fear instead of the adrenaline-driven exercise. I let go of the katana and reveal how the sword pierced Kira's shirt into the wall and _not_ Kira. Kira lets out a sigh of relief and so does Scott. 

        I pay them no mind as I head towards the kitchen to pull out the chicken flautas from the stove. I can distantly hear Scott pull the katana out of the wall to release Kira. 

        "That was amazing!" Kira exclaims as she stands across the kitchen counter with Scott next to her. " _You_ were amazing. I feared for my life for a second there, but...  _wow._ You're like a professional." 

        "No, I'm not," I snap towards her as I prepare the to-go containers and placed them in a bag. "I'm far from being a professional." 

        Scott looks at me in concern, but Kira ignores my overall tone as she tried to make sense of me. 

        "What makes you say that?" Kira asks me. "You kicked my ass." 

        "In my family's standard, that wouldn't be enough." 

        Scott quickly grows uncomfortable with the mention of my family but Kira has yet to see that. 

        "How so?" 

        "To gain their approval, I wouldn't have simple pinned you to the wall," I explain to her as I met her curious gaze. "No, that's too nice. Instead, I would have taken that katana and stabbed you through your chest. Killed you once and for all." 

        Kira's excitement drains away and I could tell from Scott's face he wasn't too happy with my morbid thoughts. I let out a sigh as I finished packing Derek's dinner and looked up at Kira. 

        "I used to be a hunter, Kira," I explain myself to her. "My family held the hunter's code to a very high standard. I tried to modify it but it didn't work out. I'm not that person anymore... Frankly, I never was to begin with." 

        This seems to relieve the tension I had brought in and Scott smiles at me with appreciation. 

        "She should go with you tonight," I tell Scott. "If she could hold out that long in one round with me that's a sign enough that she's ready." 

        Scott's smile lights up the room as he thanks me for my time. Kira and him take their leave and I am once again left alone. The distraction had been nice, but now I had to face the reality that in an hour I would be face-to-face with Derek talking about how we might have accidentally rushed our relationship once again.

        ***************

Third POV,  _ BH Police Department _

        Chris is ushered into an interrogation room under the pretense that he had a visitor. He knew that Allison was too busy to see him at the moment and he doubted Deaton had anything urgent for him to speak to him in person. He grew even more suspicious as the guard told him that it was his lawyer who had come to see him about his case. That detail was sign enough that something was up. 

        Chris steps into the dimly lit interrogation room and tensed up at the sight in front of him. He knew whatever happened in this room wouldn't see the light of day and he grew worried of what this entailed for everyone outside of here. 

        "They told me my lawyer was here," Chris sighs out as he remained standing next to the door he entered. "So either I'm going to congratulate you on recently passing the bar or I should be worried about something." 

        Araya Calavera slowly tilted her head to look at him. A mocking smile decorated her face. 

        "Hello, Christoph." 

        As much as he wanted to leave the room and offer Diana a chance to escape, Chris knew he couldn't. Araya had come to him for a reason and something told him it didn't have to do with her runaway granddaughter. 

        Araya motions him to take the seat across from her and Chris has no choice but to comply with her order. He looks over her and towards the mirrored screen behind her. He didn't need any confirmation to know that her lackeys were most likely standing behind it waiting for her next orders.  

        "What are you doing here, Araya?" Chris asks her as he settled into the metal chair. His handcuffs clinged as he set his hands down on the table.         

        "I'm here to check-in on you and your family," Araya responds casually. Something in her tone made it sound like she checking into more than that. 

        "You want to talk about the code?" Chris asked assuming that was it. 

        "Ours is more than a code of behavior," Araya explains to him. "It's a _code of honor_. These things bind our families. You don't abandon such things lightly." 

        "Where in the code does it say my wife had to kill herself?" Chris grits out with more emotion than he tended to reveal. 

        "Your wife honored us with her dying breath."

        "She would have honored her daughter by living," Chris argues. 

        Araya narrows her eyes at him and sighs. 

        "Your family is very complicated, though, isn't it?" Araya asks him with mock amusement. 

        "And yours isn't?" Chris retaliates. Araya stares at him with a cold expression prompting him to go on. "Your family has hunted for centuries and yet you can't seem to get a hold of your own granddaughter. Makes me wonder if you're even really trying to catch her." 

        Araya's fist hits the metal table strongly and Chris can't help but count that as a win for breaking the cold-hearted hunter's calm façade. 

        "Diana is the least of your concerns," Araya tells him with an even tone. "I am handling it as I please." 

        Chris wanted to rile her up more at that comment but he restrains himself from doing it. It was obvious now that Araya's focus wasn't on Diana, but for some reason towards the remainder of his family.

        "What do you really want to know?" Chris calls her out once and for all. "Is this about Allison? What are you fishing for?" 

        Araya's demeanor returns to her usual playfulness. She offers Chris another mocking smile before rising from her seat to leave. He had nothing to offer her... Not yet.

        " I don't fish, mijo," Araya tells him. " _I hunt."_

*****

        [Diana restrained the sigh from escaping her lips](https://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=229700523) as the same deputy from before told her to hand over her identification and to sign in for her visit with Derek. She rolled her eyes as the deputy scanned her driver's license and waited for her profile to show up. 

        He could see the displeasure so clearly written in her face. 

        "I'm sorry about all of this," he apologizes as he attempts to make light conversation with the pretty convict's girlfriend. "It's all just routine, but I get fired if I don't do it." 

        Diana simply offered him a small smile. 

        "I know," she answers. "But I've already gone through this with you before and you know there's nothing on my record." 

        "I know, but like I said..." 

        "You get fired if you don't do it," Diana finishes his sentence with a sigh. 

        The conversation is cut short as the computer screen reveals her squeaky clean record. Deputy Parrish returns her driver's license to her and inspects the contents of her lunch bag quickly. 

        "Ok, you're good to go," Deputy Parrish tells her. "Go ahead towards the same interrogation room as before and I'll bring him to you." 

        Diana nods at his instructions and quickly makes her way past the front desk towards the hallway. She stops as she catches the familiar scent of gunpowder and cinnamon. Diana's quick to press her back against the wall of a secluded office and holds her breath as she hears the clicking of heels come towards her direction. The scuffling of boots was evidence enough that Severo was following after her. 

        "Derek Hale is locked in the cell as well," Severo tells her. "Are you sure you don't want to give him a visit?" 

        "He didn't talk to us before, he won't talk now," Diana's grandmother responds. 

        "But after Diana saved him, he's sure to know..." Severo argues before they pause in front of the office Diana was hiding in. 

        Diana tried to hold her breath and will her heart to calm down at the mere proximity of her worst enemy. If she was caught now, everything would be over. 

        "Finding your cousin is not my priority at the moment," Araya snaps at him. "We have bigger concerns to worry about." 

        Severo doesn't respond and Diana knew it was because he was bowing his head down at their grandmother in silent apology. 

        "Go ahead without me," Araya orders him. "I need some time to think over some things. _Alone._ " 

        Severo does as he's ordered and walks out of the police department. Araya remains standing outside the office Diana was in and lets out a heavy sigh. 

        "Estas fuera de practica, Diana," Araya whispers with a slight chuckle. "You used to be so much better at hiding from me." 

        Diana closes her eyes waiting for her grandmother to pull her out of the office, but Araya doesn't. Instead, Diana's surprised that her grandmother had overlooked her completely. 

        "Staying here for some simple boy," Araya states with a shake of her head as she stared straight ahead. " _A Hale._ " 

        Araya pauses once more and Diana waited to hear what else she would say. 

        "Wherever you are in this little town, Diana, I will find you," Araya states. "I will find you and I'll make everything right."

        With those parting words, Araya walks down the hallway and out of the building. Diana let out a sigh of relief as she relaxed against the wall. She allows herself a second to rest before a hand lands on her shoulder. Diana jumps in alarm but lets out a relieved breath as she sees the concerned green eyes that belonged to Deputy Parrish . 

        "You ok?" Deputy Parrish asks her in concern. 

        "I'm fine," Diana answers. "Just a little nervous..." 

        Deputy Parrish wanted to ask more but he knew it wasn't any of his business. 

        "Hale is waiting for you in the interrogation room," Parrish tells her. "You have an hour with him." 

        Diana nods at this and makes her way out of the office and towards the secluded room. She nods at the guard in front of the door and allows herself in. 

        Derek immediately turns to her and his whole body untenses. Diana is quick to set the lunch bag onto the table before pulling him into an embrace. She couldn't help but dig her nose into the crook of his neck and inhale his natural scent. He felt warm and welcoming under her. He was home and Diana couldn't believe how cliche that sounded in her mind even though it was true. 

        Reluctantly, Diana pulls away and takes a seat across from him. She waits for Derek to dig into the bag and eat the dinner she prepared for him, but he simply stares at her. 

        "You're not hungry?" Diana asks him as the food remained untouched. 

        "Are we not going to talk about what's happening with you?" Derek answers with instead. Diana could feel panic settling into her body as he asked her this. How could he possibly know already?

        "I could practically smell you panicking out there and now you're panicking too," Derek states. "What's going on?"

        "You're not going to make this easy for me, are you?" Diana sighs out as she tried to stop her hands from shaking. She knew he was referring to her episode outside in the hallway, but Diana knew that her panic at the moment was focused on something else. 

        "What's making you afraid?" Derek asks in concern. 

        "It's us," Diana answers honestly. "I need to know where this relationship is heading." 

        "Are you worried about me getting convicted?" Derek asks. "Because I will get out of here legally or not." 

        Diana rolled her eyes at this. There was no way she was going to let him get convicted for murder, far less, have him become a fugitive again. She was dragging this conversation much farther than it needed to and she knew she had to come out clean soon. 

        "I need to know what you see in our future, Derek," Diana states. "It has nothing to do with what's going on now." 

        Derek doesn't seem convinced by this but he answers her question. 

        "I don't know," Derek tells her. "I want us to move in together and once things settle down, I'll like us to get married... have a couple of kids." 

        Diana was relieved by hearing the last statement but it didn't make the confession any easier. 

        "And what would you say if I rushed that timeline a bit?" 

        Derek narrowed his eyes at her in confusion, "I thought you wanted to take this slow." 

        He watched as she continued to pick at the nailpolish on her nails instead of looking up at him. She lets out a shaky breath as her eyes finally met his. 

        "I took a pregnancy test," Diana finally tells him. "Three, actually." 

        Derek didn't know how to respond and Diana took the opportunity to just let it all out. 

        "Two of them came up positive, one was negative," she tells him. "I went to the hospital earlier this morning and I sent my blood to get tested. I needed a more accurate test to tell me the truth so I'm still waiting on those results. I uh... I wanted to give you a heads up." 

        Derek rubs his face tiredly as he leaned back on his chair. 

        "We've been careful," Derek states. "You have the implant and I..." 

        "Sometimes these precautions fail, Der," Diana interrupts him. "And I still don't know if I'm really pregnant." 

        "Two of the tests came positive." 

        "One of them came up negative," Diana reminds him causing Derek to sigh impatiently. "This isn't set in stone yet and I just... this is a decision that involves us both and if you don't want..." 

        "No," Derek interrupts her as he reaches for her hand. "I want this. Of course, I want this with you." 

        Diana can't help but be relieved at his words and let out a pent-up sigh. 

        "Really?" she asks in disbelief. 

        "I mean... this caught me by surprise," Derek tells her. "I just thought we had a few years before this happened. I wanted us to get a house and maybe not be in the middle of an existential shitshow." 

        Diana couldn't help but giggle at that and nod. They could have had better timing.

        "You're gonna have to move in with me," Derek states. "And I'll have to start those renovation plans for the loft that I haven't gotten to."  

        "I mean... I'm still waiting for the results," Diana reminds him. "Don't get too ahead of yourself." 

        "Yeah, I know," Derek responds a little too excitedly. "But I just want you to know I'm ready for this if you are. We'll make this work." 

        Diana smiled at him and pressed a kiss to his handcuffed hand causing Derek to chuckle. For once that day, Diana couldn't help but feel like something was finally going right.

*****

        Scott, Allison, and Kira were huddled around some patrol cars waiting for the coast to be clear. The whole parking lot was deadly silent with the exception of the officer locking up the back of the armored car before heading towards the driver seat. 

        Allison watched it all through the scope of her crossbow and finally set it down. She turns to look at Kira and gives her the signal to go. 

        Kira sprints through the parking lot and slides to a stop in front of the armored car. She quickly ducks down and places the tracker onto the edge of the bumper. Kira looks over at them and smiles before she hears the creak of police department door open. She's quick to hide beside the armored car as the deputy makes his way to the passenger's side.         

        "Okay, let's get out of here," Deputy Parrish states before he catches sight of the passed out driver. He's quick to draw his gun out at the sight of blood and checks his surrounding.

        "We have to do something," Scott tells Allison as the deputy approaches the back of the armored car.

        Before anything coud be done by them, the doors of the back of the truck slam open and attacks the deputy. Deputy Parrish is immediately knocked out and the large attacker breathes heavily above him. 

        "Who the hell is that?" Scott whispers in concern. 

        "Kincaid." 

        Kincaid is quick to grab the evidence bag that held the silver prosthetic finger. He pulls it out of the bag and admires it with a small smirk. 

        "We need that finger," Scott states as he finally approaches him. Kincaid glances over at Scott in amusement and recognizes the huntress with her crossbow aimed directly at him. 

        "Why should I give it to you?" Kincaid asks them.

        "There's a briefcase in there with $ 150,000 in it," Allison tells him. 

        "The scroll inside this prosthetic finger is worth three million," Kincaid points out as he pockets the silverfinger into the coat of his jacket.

        "Give me the finger," Scott demands once more before realizing the poor wording. He lets out a sigh and corrects himself. "You know what I mean." 

        Before Kincaid could respond, Kira appears at the top of the armored car and tackles him. Kincaid doesn't even move from his spot and simply overpowers her as he threw Kira over his shoulder. 

        Kira looks up at the werewolf in surprise and the peaceful atmosphere turns into a tense one. Kincaid let's out a growl through his lips and looks up at Scott with blue eyes. 

        "I guess negotiations are over." 

        It was three against one and they should have the odds in their favor. Instead, it seemed like Kincaid had the strength of twelve men and easily overpowered every attack thrown his way.

        Allison's arrows pierced his chest but Kincaid easily removed the arrows from himself without a grimace. Kira attempts to punch him but he avoids her fist and throws her against a brick wall. He then swipes at Allison as she tried to reload her crossbow and she was knocked out as well. All that remained was Scott and he swiped his claws at Kincaid without ever once actually hurting him. 

        Scott is quickl beaten down by Kincaid and groans painfully on the floor. With no sign of tiredness, Kincaid kneels down next to Scott. 

        "You have the eyes of an Alpha, but where's the strength?"

        " _Up here,"_  Ethan and Aidan state in unision. They both growl as their eyes turn blue and their fangs extend. Both lunge over the upstairs railing and attack Kincaid.

        Kincaid would shove one brother away only to be attacked by the other. He was having trouble keeping up with both of their attacks and is quickly thrown into an inexcapable corner. Aidan and Ethan are merciless in their attacks. Their claws ripped through Kincaid's skin, punches and kicks immobilized him further. The smell of blood was so thick in the air.

        "Ethan, Aiden... Stop!" Scott shouts over them. 

        Reluctantly, the twins stop their attacks and Kincaid falls wounded onto the ground

        "You want him to come after us?" Ethan asks in disbelief. 

        "Scott, we've seen guys like this," Aidan comments. "Trust us. He's dangerous." 

        "So are we," Scott reminds them. "And he looks smart enough to remember that." 

        Scott reaches into Kincaid's pocket and pulls out the silver prosthetic. He pulls out the small scroll and looks up at Allison with a smile. She had been right in her assumptions of where the scroll could be located. Kincaid looked up at the teenaged Alpha with a mixture of fear and curiosity. 

        "We're here to save a life," Scott tells all of them. "Not end one."

 

 _Eichen House_  

        Stiles had wasted an entire day trying to get into the basement. Though Malia and Oliver came through in tricking Brunski and gaining his keys, Stiles was caught attempting to open the basement door. He was put to sleep and he now knew why Dr. Morrell had warned him not to fall asleep. The nogitsune had made a more direct appearance this time and Stiles was barely able to escape him if it wasn't for Malia coming to his rescue. 

        Malia had woken him up and had got him into the basement through another way. Now they both searched through the large amounts of file boxes for some sort of clue. File reports were scattered everywhere and Stiles was nowhere closer to an answer than before. 

        "Maybe it would help if I knew what I was looking for," Malia states as she looked at all of the diagrams around her. 

        Stiles looks around the basement with a sigh and stops when he catches sight of the familiar symbol. 

        "Something to do with that," Stiles points out.

        Malia walks over to the etching carved into the cement wall and traces it. 

        "What does it mean?" she asks him. 

        "Self," Stiles answers vaguely as he moves next to her.

        "Maybe you should tell me more." 

        "You might not like me if you know any more," Stiles responds shakily as he recalled recent events.

        "Try to remember that I'm a werecoyote who murdered her own family," Malia reminds him. "I won't judge. I promise." 

        Stiles lets out a sigh and knew that after all their time spent together that he should let her know what was going on. He gives her a confusing explanation. His rambling still being intact in his tired mind and Malia seems to take it all in without any question. There's a brief moment of silence after his explanation and Stiles drops his head onto the wall behind him. 

        Malia perks up at the echo sound she hears. 

        "Stiles," she calls out to him. "Did you hear that?" 

        Stiles looks at her confused so Malia knocks on the cement wall with the self inscription revealing the echo sound that occurred behind the wall. Stiles quickly stands up and picks up the nearby crowbar. Malia moves out of the way and Stiles begins to break through the wall. 

        Hit after hit, the hollow wall is broken down enough for Stiles and Malia to see what was hidden behind. Stiles drops the crow bar and crouches down to look into it. He finds the bandaged body that had been following him around that day seated behind. It showed no sign of life, but it had to be it. 

        "This is him," Stiles tells Malia.

        "The Nogitsune?" she asks confused. Stiles simply nods in response as he took the sight in. He didn't know what to do now that he found it. 

        Malia, being as curious as ever, reaches into the nearby pocket of the nogitsune's jacket. She finds an old photograph and hands it to Stiles. 

        "Recognize them?" 

        Stiles takes the picture and his eyes shrink as he tries to decipher the photo. His eyes instantly widen as he recognizes a familiar face. 

        "One of them," Stiles states in shock. "I have to get this to Scott." 

        Before anything could be done, Stiles feels a jolt of pain run through his veins and he's barely able to look back to see the cause. His back hits the ground and he gasps as all of the air in his lungs is knocked out of him. When his vision clears up, Stiles finds Oliver looking at him nervously. 

        "You took Brunski's keys," Oliver states above him. "I took his stun gun." 

        Malia quickly blocks Oliver from reaching Stiles but he uses the stun gun on her and she's quickly immobilized. Her back hits the wall and she slides down onto the floor. 

        "I also got his Haldol," Oliver tells them as he injects the sedative on Malia's leg knocking her out completely. Stiles watches him move across the room to find something. 

        "Like I was saying, Stiles, I heard they used to do trepanation here," Oliver tells him as he comes back to where he sat.

        "Oliver..." Stiles gasps out. "What are you doing?" 

        The drilling machine starts to hum in Oliver's hand as he pressed the on-button. 

        "I'm going to let the evil spirits out," Oliver answers.

        The adrenaline in Stiles' body quickly fades away and his vision blurs at the immense pain. He's having a hard time focusing on what's going and Stiles fights to remain awake. He's lost in darkness for what seems to be just a second as light starts to seep through. 

        "I borrowed a few pointers from the five point restraint," Oliver explains.

        Stiles forces his eyes open and finds Oliver in front of him. 

        "Oliver, stop this." 

        Oliver continues to cough and his hand reveals drops of blood and a dead fly. Oliver clears his throat before bringing up the drill and turning it on again. He starts to bring the drill tip closer and closer to Stiles' head. 

        "Oliver, listen to me," Stiles begs as he's unable to move. "Stop! Oliver! Oliver! Stop!" 

        The drill tip was just a centimeter away from Stiles' forehead but it stops as a new voice appears in the basement. 

        " _Start with her."_

Stiles watches as Oliver moves to the chair beside him that held an unconscious Malia. His eyes find the Nogitsune hiding in the shadows of the basement. 

        "You did this," Stiles calls it out. "You got into his head."

        " _Every Dracula needs a Renfield,_ " the Nogitsune responds.

        Stiles watches as Oliver places Malia's limp hands into the tight restraints.

        "Just let her go," Stiles begs.

        " _Let me in,_ " the Nogitsune responds. " _Stiles, do you want her to leave here alive?"_

Stiles struggles through the restraints but they are tightly wrapped around his wrists. 

        " _Do you want us to leave?_ " the Nogitsune asks him as it moves closer to him. " _We can walk out of this place."_

        "Just let her go please," Stiles sobs. He attempts to break through his restraints once more but the result is the same as before. 

        The Nogitsune moves closer to Stiles and perches its hand on his chair. 

        " _Let me in,"_ the Nogitsune orders. " _Let me in, Stiles! Let me in!_ "

        "Just let her go please!" Stiles shouts in response. 

        The drill sounds through the whole basement and Stiles begins to panic. 

        " _Let me in, Stiles!_ " the Nogitsune shouts. " _Let me in! Let me in and I'll let her live. Let me in!"_

Stiles continues to scream and struggle with the restraints. Panic racked his entire body as he watched Oliver bring the drill tip closer to Malia's forehead. After a while, the basement grows silent and Stiles stops struggling. His eyes close and all the fight within him disappears. 

        "Oliver," he calls out as he rips of the restraints from his wrists. He massages the bruised skin before looking up at a submissive Oliver who turns of the drill.

        Stiles walks over to Oliver who nervously smiles at him. Stiles doesn't say anything and instead grabs the drill from him and hits him on the side of the head with it. Oliver passes out on the floor and Stiles simply shrugs. He sets the drill aside and prepares to leave before his name is called out. 

        "Stiles?" Malia groans as her gaze turns to look at him. 

        Stiles stops and turns back to look at her. A small grin appears on his lips as he knew that Stiles was no longer present. 

************

Diana's POV,  _BH Hospital_

        Right after my discussion with Derek, I went over to the hospital to keep Isaac some company. I finally placed Allison in the waiting list and headed towards the ICU. From there I looked over at Isaac and took bits of his pain away. It did nothing to wake him up, but it did relieve him for a simple second. 

        The beeping of the monitor was the only sound in the room before I hear the buzzing of my phone. I quickly pull it out and find a text from Melissa saying that my results were finally in. With no hesitation, I make my way downstairs to the waiting room and wait for Melissa to come to the front desk. 

        The waiting room was fairly empty and I grew nervous as seconds went by without a sight of Melissa. I jump out of my seat as I see her walking down the hallway. I meet her at the front desk and she offers me a small smile. 

        "Did you talk to him?" is the first thing she asks me as she sets her clipboard down and pulls out the file she had recently pinned down. 

        "Yeah, I did," I answer with a growing smile. "He was shocked at first, but then he was excited. Couldn't get him to shut up about the renovations he wants to do at the loft and how he'll be a stay at home dad while I go to work." 

        Melissa's smile shrinks as she held the awaited results close to her chest. I wait patiently for her to hand them over to me, but she doesn't. Instead she makes her way around the front desk and motions me into a vacant room. 

        "I thought you'll want some privacy in reviewing the results."

        The smile on my face falters as she finally hands over the file. I don't even have to open the folder to know what the results are. Melissa made it obvious the second she ushered me into a room. 

        "I'm not pregnant, am I?" I ask her. 

        Melissa doesn't respond and that further proved my answer. The folder in my hands suddenly feels heavy and I couldn't help but become angry at myself for even letting myself hope that it could be true. 

        "I'm so sorry, Diana," she tells me. "I'll leave you alone to process everything." 

        Melissa leaves the room and takes all the air with her. I felt suffocated in the small room. I lean against the hospital bed there and tried to keep myself together. The plans that Derek had beautifully made in the short moment we had together quickly disappeared and I felt empty. 

        I guess that's what I get for trusting a fox. 

**************

Third POV,  _Animal Clinic_

        Scott brings the small scroll directly to Deaton. He unravels it and holds up the scripture against the lights of his office. The writing reveals itself more clearly now and Deaton is able to translate the writing with a bit more ease. 

        "There isn't much here, unfortunately," Deaton tells Scott as he translates the simple sentence. 

        "Does it say anything?" Scott asks him. 

        "My Japanese isn't great," Deaton warns him. "But it appears to say that one method of expelling a Nogitsune is to change the body of the host." 

        "Change the body?" Scott asks in clarification. 

        "Which begs the question, how do we change Stiles' body?" Deaton asks him. 

        "By turning him into a werewolf." 

 

_Eichen House_

Malia quickly releases herself from her time in Eichen House. After everything he told her about the trickster Nogitsune, Stiles' disappearance was a sign of alarm. Malia knew what she had to do and it coincided with her finally facing her problems instead of running away from them. 

        She slings the katana case over her shoulder as she walked to the exit of Eichen House. Malia was soon being joined by Dr. Morrell who she now knew was more than a therapist. 

        "Do you know where you're going?" she asks her as they walk down the halls together. 

        "No, but I know who I'm looking for." 

        "Scott McCall," Dr. Morrell states causing Malia to slow down to a stop.

        "You know him?" Malia asks her as she turned to look at her. 

        "I can tell you where to find him." 

 

_BH Hospital_

        Allison makes her way into the hospital just in time to make it to the last thirty minutes of visiting hours. It wasn't enough time, but it was better than nothing. She makes her way to the front desk and signs her name in before heading down the hallway. In her rush, she fails to stop herself from colliding with someone else and papers scatter through the air as a result. 

        "I am so sorry," Allison quickly apologizes as she kneels down and starts to pick up the fallen paperwork. She had managed to file most of them up before a clawed hand prevented her from doing anything further. 

        "Stop." 

        Allison looks up to find Diana looking at her with bright yellow eyes. They quickly return to their normal color and Allison noticed how swollen and red they look. She had been crying. 

        "Is Isaac ok?" Allison asks her immediately. "What happened?" 

        Diana refuses to respond and tries to pry the papers out of her hands. Allison pulls them closer to her and starts to read through them. She pauses as her eyes read over the bolded letters and the highlighted result. 

        "It's a pregnancy test..." Allison whispers. 

        Diana pries the paperwork out of her hands and tuck them into the folder. She was breathing heavily, panicking slightly, and Allison remained shocked. 

        "Keep this to yourself," Diana grits out to her. "Don't tell anyone about this." 

        "Diana, I..." Allison wanted to apologize to her. She had breached her privacy in a way she shouldn't have. Not only that, but it was obvious that the negative result had negatively impacted her. 

        Allison's apology is never said as Diana's phone begins to buzz. She pulls it out with an annoyed sigh before her angry attitude falters. Diana looks up at Allison with a pleading expression. 

        "Please," Diana whispers. "Please don't tell anyone." 

        Allison simply nods and that was enough for Diana to trust her. Allison watches the she-wolf defeatedly walk out of the hospital and for once saw how human she could actually be.  

*****

        Diana waited to reach her car before she answered Derek's phone call. She was at a loss for words as to how she was going to break down this news to him. It was her fault to begin with. She had put ideas in his head and now she had to tell him the hard cold truth. 

        " _Diana?"_ Derek calls out to her as she remained silent. 

        "Hey, Der," Diana finally greets him as she tried to sound cheerful. 

        " _Did you get the results yet?"_ he asks and she could feel the excitement in his voice. 

        "Yeah... yeah, I did." 

        " _And?"_ Derek asks impatiently. 

        "I'm not pregnant," Diana tells him with a cold chuckle. "So we dodged a bullet there." 

        " _Don't_ ," Derek responds to her in a defeated voice. " _Don't do that_."

        "Do what?" Diana asks annoyed. 

        " _Don't block your emotions away,"_ Derek tells her. " _Talk to me."_

"What do you want me to say?" Diana exclaims through the phone as tears threatened to fall once more. "I have been worried sick all day about these results and then you came along and made me fall in love with the idea of having a family and having a somewhat normal life. A life with a white-picket fence, and soccer games, and music recitals... A life I thought I would never have." 

        " _Are you blaming me?"_

        Diana remains silent as she tries to breathe. 

        "Of course I want to blame you. It's easier for me that way!" she confesses to him. "But it's _my_ fault for getting my hopes up." 

        " _Diana..."_

"To be honest, it's a good thing I'm not pregnant," Diana sighs out. "My grandmother is still leading a hunt to catch me and I don't want a baby getting involved in that." 

        " _Diana..._ " 

        "Having a baby in this town just seems to be a call for disaster," Diana continues. "And who am I kidding? We would be terrible parents. You tried to kill me and I tried to kill you. You somehow always land in jail or almost die or disappear... Don't get me started with my problems..." 

        " _DIANA."_

        Diana doesn't say anything else and hears Derek's heavily breathing through the phone. She could tell that he was struggling to keep himself under control. 

        " _Here's what you're going to do,"_ Derek states in a serious tone.  _"You're going to buyout your apartment lease or pass it on to someone else, I don't care, but you're going to do that. You're going to pack all of your things and move in with me. Is that clear?"_

"Derek..." Diana sighs out as she rubbed her face tiredly. 

        " _No, it's time for you to listen to me, Diana,"_ Derek cuts her off. " _We get a second chance to make things right. We're going to move in together just like I had planned. Then when I think we're ready, and you are blissfully unaware, I'm going to propose to you. We're going to get married and shortly after, we're going to start a family."_

        Diana didn't know what to say and remained silent. 

        " _I love you, Diana,"_ he tells her more softly. " _I just want you to be happy."_

"You're perfect," Diana whispers to him as she felt slightly better. "I'm just so angry at myself. I'm so stupid!" 

        " _What are you talking about?"_

        Diana let out a sigh and she knew it would take time to recover from this hit. It wasn't just her heart that had been broken, but her mind as well. She thought she was smarter than this. 

        "I trusted the fox, Derek," she confesses to him once and for all. "And he tricked me in the worst way possible" 

        Diana takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. 

        "He gave me hope... and then he quickly snatched it away."


	21. De-Void

Third POV, _ Derek's Loft _

        The doors slide open to reveal the mess that was Derek's, and soon to be, Diana's loft too. Sheriff Stilinski lets out a sigh of relief when he finds Stiles standing by the window. The search had finally come to an end and this whole game of cat and mouse was over even though the tension of the whole situation had yet to vanish. The thought of this all being a trap was constant in his mind. 

        Stiles looked pale and his eyes had dark bags under them. The nogitsune was draining the life away from him and the urgency of the situation grows. 

      _What could he do?_

Stiles greeted the Sheriff with a small smile but he could still see the darkness that lingered in his eyes. Sheriff Stilinski pulled out the handcuffs from his pocket and showed them to Stiles. 

        "You want to handcuff me?" Stiles asked his father.

        "If my son is still here, if there's still a part of him standing here in front of me, then he'll put these on willingly and he'll come with us, because he knows I'm here to protect him from himself and from others," the Sheriff explains to him with a lingering tone of hope.

        Stiles is conflicted by the request but offers up his hands. Sheriff Stilinski is quick to place the handcuffs around his wrists and secures them tightly. His eyes slowly meets Stiles' and something changes. 

        "You're not my son," Sheriff states.

        Stiles grins and he tugs at the handcuffs around his wrists and breaks them with ease. 

        Slowly, Diana and Derek, and Allison and Chris make their way inside the loft. They slowly surround Stiles and essentially corner him to that spot. 

        Allison raises the taser-gun and aims at Stiles. Her hand is slightly shaking, but her aim remained sharp. She pulls the trigger but Stiles catches the electryfing strings and tugs the gun out of her hands, not at all phased by the pain.

        Derek and Diana are quick to act and wolf out instantly before attempting to take Stiles down. Derek lunges but Stiles is quick to grab a painful hold on him and throws Derek to the nearby wall. Diana sends a kick, hoping to catch him off guard, but Stiles catches her foot without even glancing in her direction. He twists her ankle, a crack resounding in the air, before tossing her against the same pillar as Derek and disabilitating her as well. 

        Watching each attempt to withhold Stiles fail, Chris Argent has no other choice but to pull out the gun from the waistband of his pants. He unlocks the safety and aims it at Stiles' head. 

        The whole room turns silent and Stiles can't help but smile at the sight of the gun being pointed at him.

        "Argent, listen to me," Sheriff Stilinski states as he keeps an eye out on the trigger. "Don't do this."

        Derek helps Diana up to her feet and they slowly watch the scene unfold. Both hoping that the trigger isn't pulled. 

        "Why not?" Chris asks with a calm shrug. "I've done it before. Werewolves, berserkers... I can easily add a nogitsune to the list."

        Stilinski pulls out his own gun and aims it at Argent's head. 

        "You're not going to shoot my son."

        "You said it yourself, Sheriff," Argent responds. "That's not your son."

        "Put it down," Stilinski repeats.

        Chris doesn't lower his gun and instead keeps an eye on Stiles.

        "Dad, he's going to shoot me," Stiles feigns as he looks over at the Sheriff. "He's going to kill me, Dad."

        "Don't listen."

        "Put it down," Sheriff shouts. "Now! Do it! Put it down!"

        Stiles turns away from his father and focuses on Chris with a tempting grin. 

        "Pull the trigger," Stiles badgers. "Come on."

        "Listen to me," Sheriff exclaims. "You put the gun down now!"

        "Shoot me," Stiles states once more.

        "Put the gun down now!" 

        "Dad," Allison calls out.

        "Shoot me!"

        "Put the gun down!"

        "SHOOT ME!" 

        "Argent, you put it down!"

        Allison watches the triage of chaos continue before she realizes what is happening in front of them.

        " _Strife.._." she whispers. 

        The shouting continues and Derek, Diana, and Allison notice the sun setting. Time was spent in arguing that they hadn't noticed that their deadline was over. 

        "Stop, stop it!" Allison shouts. "This is what he wants. This is _exactly_ what he wants." 

        "Not exactly," Stiles responds. "I was kind of hoping Scott would be here. But I'm glad you all have your guns out. Because you're not here to kill me..."

        Stiles turns around right at the moment the Oni decides to make an appearance. 

        "...You're here to protect me."

        Stiles steps behind Chris and his father while the Oni unsheathe their katanas and swing them simultaneously before taking an offensive stance. Allison, Derek, and Diana move to protect Chris and the Sheriff from behind causing two Onis appear in front of them as they do.

        Sheriff and Chris pull the trigger from their guns, only one gun working. Chris finds that his gun is locked and so he pulls out his spare gun from the inner pocket of his jacket and starts firing it.

        Derek and Allison take the lead on each of the Oni and Diana aids both of them as she knew both of their fighting styles and aligned herself to cover their weaknesses. 

        Time moves slowly and suddenly it all stops. The Oni disappear in a moment's notice and everyone is breathing heavily as they tried to catch their breath and ignore the pain from the wounds received. 

        Scott and Kira come storming through the loft doors and look around in confusion. 

        "What happened?" Scott asks. 

        "They disappeared," Diana answers as she pops her shoulder back into place and grimaces. "They literally just vanished."

        "And so did Stiles," the Sheriff states solemnly as he looked at the empty spot his son once stood in.

 

_Echein House_

        Noshiko makes her way down to the basement and stops at the hole in the wall. She mournfully looks down at the wrapped body and kneels down next to it. Her hands reach for the fragments of the cement wall and she puts the pieces back together creating the kanji once again. 

        "Why that kanji?" the Nogitsune asks from behind her. "Why "self"?"

        Noshiko isn't surprised by his appearance and calmly responds to him. 

        "To signify that he died as himself," she answers. "Because Rhys wasn't a monster. Not like you."

        Noshiko stands up from the rubble and reveals the last blade, her last tail, to the Nogitsune.

        "If I'm such a monster, why'd you call off the Oni?" the Nogitsune asks her as he steps towards her and blocks her exit. "What happened to the woman who called out for chaos, strife, and pain to descend upon everyone and everything? What happened?"

        "I don't want that anymore," she tells him.

        "I do," the Nogitsune states as he grabs a hold of Noshiko's wrist. 

        "Did you bring this here thinking you could hide it from me?" the Nogitsune asks her tauntingly before managing to pull the blade out of her hand. "Bad idea."

        Noshiko watches as he takes a step back and plunges the blade through his abdomen. 

        "What have you done?" Noshiko asks in horror. 

        The Nogitsune doesn't respond, instead stumbles away from her as he released the blade from his body. 

        "Chaos has come again."

        Flies start to fly out from the gash on his abdomen and start to surround Noshiko. She shies away from all of them before sensing them gone. Once she opened her eyes, the flies were gone and the Nogitsune had disappeared along with them. 

********

 Diana's POV,  _Derek's Loft_

        After a long hot shower, I came down the stairs toweling my damp hair dry. Derek had changed into a tank top in hopes of letting the gash on his shoulder to breathe. I watch as he sets down a chess board onto the table and drop all of the pieces on top of it. By the time I make it down to the ground floor, Derek is setting up the chess board. 

        "What are you doing?" I ask him. "And more importantly, why aren't you healing yet?"

        "It's from one of their swords. It'll take time to heal."

        "By playing chess?" I joke as I watch him place the pawns on the board. 

        "Back in his room, Stiles had a board with all of our names on the pieces," Derek reminds me. "If this is a game to him, then I need to figure out the plays."

        "It won't be easy," I tell Derek. "Especially since the Nogitsune is playing a game without rules."

        "What do you mean?" Derek asks me. 

        "I've done some of my own research, Der," I tell him as I hop onto the table and look up at him. "Took up one of your many fabulous hobbies and opened up a book and read. You're dealing with the kind of spirit that's lived too long to play by human rules. It's a fox spirit that chose to become human which is something that it can only do after about 100 years. If a kitsune is an annoying pain in the ass, then a nogitsune, which is a _dark kitsune_ , is a freaking disaster. Besides, chess is Stiles's game. It's not the game of a Japanese fox." 

        Derek lets out a sigh and drops the pieces of the chess board. He steps between my legs and cages me between his arms, his nose nudging against mine. I wrap my arms around his neck and Derek grimaces as I make contact with the gash on his shoulder.

        "You should really let me take care of that," I tell him. "Before it gets infected." 

        "It'll heal on its own," Derek responds with a shrug. 

        He unwraps my arm from his neck and takes a hold of my hands instead. 

        "We need to talk." 

        "We are talking," I whisper trying to ignore the tone of his voice. 

        Derek smiles at this but his face grows serious once more. 

        "What's going on?" I ask him. "If this is about unpacking, I promise it is one of my priorities alongside keeping myself alive and saving Stiles." 

        "That's not it," Derek sighs out before his eyes meet mine. "You know I love you, right?"

        "Of course I do," I answer with a small smile. 

        "I love everything about you," Derek continues. "I love your smile, your laugh, your courage... your honesty." 

        Sensing his last hesitation, I grew tense when I realized what this was building up to. 

        "I need to know what happened to your Alpha," Derek states. 

        "Let me correct you there," I tell him. "He was never  _my_ Alpha. Never got the chance to be, because I killed him seconds after he turned me." 

        Derek watches me for a second more before letting out a sigh. 

        "Tell me everything."          

**********

Third POV, _Argent Penthouse_

        The elevator's door slide open and Chris walks out into the hallway with his weapons bag over his shoulder. Allison follows slowly after him, watching him closely as he pulled out the key from his pocket and unlocked the door. 

        "Dad?" she asks. 

        "Hmm?"

        "Were you really going to pull the trigger on Stiles?" Allison asked him. 

        Chris lets out a sigh and turns to look at his daughter. 

        "To be honest... I'm not sure." 

        Allison nods at this and Chris assumes the matter is over with. He opens the door and lets Allison inside. She stops at the doorway and turns to him. 

        "I'll check the firing pin," Allison tells him. 

        "You removed it?" he asks slightly impressed. 

        Allison nods and Chris can't help but chuckle. He pulls her into an embrace and places a kiss on the top of her head. 

        "That's why the women are the leaders in our family," Chris states before motioning her inside. "Get some sleep, sweetheart." 

        Allison makes her way into her room and stops as she takes notice of the silhouette seated on her bed. She lets out a sigh of relief as she recognized it was Isaac. 

        "What are you doing here?" Allison asks him as she takes a seat next to him. She takes in his appearance and notice all of his burn marks were gone. 

        "I thought I'd come see you." 

        "You didn't just walk out of the hospital, did you?" she asks him. 

        "It's okay," Isaac tells her. "I feel a lot better." 

        Allison smiles at this and pulls Isaac into an embrace. She barely misses the dark glint of his eyes.

**********

Diana's POV,  _Derek's Loft_

        I wave away the pesky fly from my ear and watch as Derek pulled up a chair to the table and took a seat. He seemed nervous as to what I was about to say and I was too. This was a part of my life that I had kept hidden and for good reason. This was the moment in my life that changed me once more. 

        "I met Jared on a hunt," I tell Derek. "I was with my dad and Marcos. This pack was full of monsters, turning as many people as they wanted too, but unable to get them to complete the transition. People were dying and we were having trouble pinpointing the Alpha in this pack so we... well I decided to infiltrate it."

        I took a deep breath and continued. 

        "We knew some of their betas frequented this bar dive so I dressed myself up and went in," I state with a shrug. "Marcos got so mad. Told me I was putting myself in danger, but people were dying and if they weren't dying then this pack was growing and we had no idea who this Alpha was. Going in that bar, I thought I had him. There was a hierarchy in this pack and it seemed pretty visible who was in command. I made sure to catch his eye and managed to get an in." 

        "And this is how you met Jared?" Derek asks me. 

        "Nope," I answer with a shake of my head. "This is how I met Aaron."

        "But I thought..." 

        "I know," I tell him. "It'll all make sense in a moment. I just..."

        I let out a sigh and tried to calm myself down, "I thought Aaron was the Alpha because everyone would come to him, would bow down to him. I met Jared like this because he seemed to be the second in command. He would whisper in his ear and Aaron would nod and bark out an order. I was so stupid not to notice what was occurring." 

        "And what was happening?" Derek asks confused. 

        "That Jared was covering his tracks, hiding his Alpha status because he knew that hunters would come after him," I answer. "He was pining this on Aaron. Clever, this was all so clever that I got really close to Jared, thinking he wasn't a threat and fell for him." 

        "You were tricked," Derek comments. "It's not your fault."

        "It is my fault," I tell him. "Because I let my guard down and let him in. It was because of this that the situation got worse." 

        "How so?" 

        "The turnings stopped," I tell him. "Which sounds good on paper, but it worried us. Marcos and my dad were trailing Aaron to see if he would slip up but he never did and since the turnings stopped there was no reason to stay. We were ready to give up and move on. It wasn't until I told Jared that I was leaving town that the turnings returned and in a worse way because they were all women. Prostitutes, kindergarten teachers, runaways... and they all looked like me."

        Derek looks horrified at this and I turn away from him. 

        "That's when I knew," I tell him. "That's when I knew I had it all wrong and that my mistake became my whole family's mistake. Marcos and my dad were furious that I involved myself with a beast which was why they told me it had to be me to kill him. No more forcing them do it for me. We started to trap all of Jared's betas and it was essentially Aaron who directed us to the national park where Jared had run off to. We all split up, me being good at tracking, found him first. We started to fight, he bit me, and I killed him." 

        "Then you turned, Marcos tried to kill you, and you ran..." Derek concludes.

        "And the rest of it is history," I whisper. 

        I hear his chair screech as he stood up. I didn't dare look up trying to push off looking at his face knowing the disappointing look he would have. 

        From the corner of my eye, II watch as he walks past me, up the stairs, and into his bedroom. The door slams closed and I let out a heavy sigh knowing his silence spoke volumes.

        I grabbed my coat and left. I should have known this would push him over the edge. His reaction was reasonable and there was no way to fix this. Not now anyways.

*********

  Third POV,  _Lydia's Car_

         _Turn right onto Lincoln Road and continue for half a mile._

Lydia makes the turn and continues to drive down the road as Aidan sat next to her for whatever reason. He plays with the piece of paper in his hand and turns to Lydia with a sigh.

        "You at least going to tell me where we're going?" he asks her. 

        "I need to check on something," Lydia answers.

        "Who is Mailea Tate?" Aidan asks as he read out her name.

        "It's Mah-leah," Lydia corrects him. "And you don't need to worry about it."

         _Turn right onto Harmon Street and stay right..._

 _"_ Well, I'm actually a little worried we're totally lost," Aidan states as he looked out the window.

        "Why do you think that?" Lydia asks as she makes the other turn. 

        "Cause you just made your fourth right," Aidan points out. "And four rights make a circle."

        "I did not," Lydia states before she takes a look around her. "Did I?"

        She plays with the radio in her car and sighs. 

        "It's a brand-new car," she states. "The GPS was fine before."

        "Maybe the GPS would work better if it was on," Aidan remarks.

        "What?" Lydia asks confused. 

        She looks down at the radio screen and notices that the screen is blank. Lydia starts to fidget with the radio and Aidan becomes concerned.

        "Lydia, you okay?" 

        "I need to stop," Lydia states. "I need to pull over right now."

        She makes a sudden turn into a lot and steers away from the cars parked.

        "Lydia," Aidan calls out as she kept speeding through. "Lydia, stop!"

        The wheels of car screech into a stop and Lydia takes notice of the body laid out a few metres away from her car. Everything made sense now as Lydia stepped out of the car with Aidan covering for her instantly. 

        The body laid out in front them was none other than Stiles. They were too distracted by the sight of him, that they didn't notice the fly that made its way into Aidan's ear. 

*****

        Aidan and Scott carry Stiles through the house and lay him down onto the couch. Scott had called Deaton in once he found out that Stiles had been taken in unconscious. Deaton had brought a distressed Diana with him who did not want to comment anything about her situation.

       "Guys, this is crazy," Melissa states as she took a sight of a pale Stiles. "He needs to be in the hospital."

        "Mom, remember what happened last time he went to the hospital?" Scott reminded her.

        Deaton starts to inspect Stiles and finds the deep gash on his stomach. 

        "It doesn't look like he's bleeding," Deaton states. "I think he might even be healing."

        "You mean healing like we heal?" Diana asks him. 

        "That's good, right?" Scott asks.

        "For him, yes." Deaton responds. "Us? I'm not so sure." 

        Deaton motions Diana for his medical bag and she hands it over to him. 

        "Well, if we're not going to kill him, why aren't we at least tying him down with really big chains?" Aidan asks.

        "I might have something more effective," Deaton responds as he pulled out the vial from his case. 

        Aidan and Scott nod at the sight of the kanima venom that Deaton had in his possession. They both move to hold down and open Stiles' mouth and Deaton feeds him a few drops of the venom.

        The Nogitsune instantly wakes up and takes a hold of Aidan's hand and puts him on a choke hold. 

        "Get him off me! Get him off me!"

        Scott and Diana struggle to pry Stiles off Aidan and finally are able to when the kanima venom starts to take in effect.

        "Kanima venom," the Nogitsune groans out in annoyance. "Nice touch."

        Aidan steps towards Stiles with a growl which doesn't frighten the Nogitsune at all. In fact, it seems to amuse him even more. 

        "You know how they say that twins get a feeling when the other one's in pain?" the Nogitsune inquires. "You didn't lose that talent too, did you? Oh, I hope not. You're going to need it."

        Aidan glances over at Scott in concern, but Scott doesn't know what the Nogitsune may be inferring to.

        "Okay, I'll give a little hint," the Nogitsune states. "Ethan's at the school. _Go_." 

        Aidan doesn't hesitate to run out of the house to go check in on his brother. The Nogitsune watches him go and lets out a chuckle. 

        "Oh, I hope he gets there in time," the Nogitsune comments turning to Scott. "I like the twins. Short tempers. Homicidal compulsions. They're a lot more fun than you, bakemono, trying to save the world every day."

        Melissa didn't like the sight of Stiles badgering her son and turns to Deaton.

        "Doc, you brought something to paralyze his body. You got anything for his mouth?" 

        "Yes, I do," Deaton states as he pulls out a roll of duct tape.  

        He rips of a piece and covers Stiles' mouth with it.

        Scott pulls Deaton aside and Diana follows after them.

        "How much longer do you think we have?" Scott asks him.

        "I wish I knew," Deaton answers. "But if we don't figure out something soon, we're going to need to find a better place to keep him. I think we're grossly underestimating the danger here. He might be paralyzed, but it still feels like he's got us right in the palm of his hand."

        Diana turns around and watches as Melissa stitches Stiles up. There was a knowing look in his eyes that confirmed what Deaton had said.

        "What could he possibly be planning?" 

  
_Argent's Penthouse_

        After a dark encounter with Isaac, which had left her chained into bed until she finally managed to be free, Allison was quick to get ready and head towards to school to figure out what was going on. She called her father to warn him of the dangerous situation hoping to get some backup. 

        "I think he went to the school," Allison tells him. "I tried to catch up, but he had a head start."

        "I'm on my way," he tells her as he quickly left his office and headed out.

        Right as Chris opened the door he found Derek standing right in front of him with sunken eyes. 

        "Derek, you all right?" Chris asked him.

        "I need to show you something," Derek states as he stepped through the door and headed to his office.

        Chris follows after him and waits for Derek to continue. Derek drops the set of claws onto the desk 

        "Do you know who these belonged to?" Derek asks him. "These claws are all that was left of my mother after your psychotic sister burned her and the rest of my family alive." 

        Chris realized the shift in Derek's attitude and starts to reach for his gun, but Derek was too fast and knocked him out before he had a chance to defend himself. 

        The next moment Chris became conscious, he found himself tied to one of the chairs in his study. Derek was ruffling through a bag out of Chris' peripheral and finds what he's looking for. 

        "Derek," Chris calls out to at the sign of his movement. Derek quickly starts pouring lighter fluid all over Chris and the stench of chemicals warns Chris of the dangerous situation he's in. "Okay, listen. Listen to me. Whatever's gotten into your head, this isn't the way to deal with it."

        "You burn my family, I burn yours," Derek responds as he threw the container aside and kneeled in front of Chris. "In fact, I'll burn the whole building down around you."

        He flickers the lighter on and Chris is quick to blow it out. Derek, out of anger, grabs Chris' jaw tightly and growls. 

        "That was Kate," Chris reminds him. "You know I had nothing to do with that. I'm not your enemy, Derek. Not anymore."

        "Yeah, you are. You and Allison," Derek states as he plays with the lighter in his hand. Flicking it on and off and bringing it close to Chris' inflatable clothes before steering it away. "Which is why, I'm not gonna light this yet. I'm not. We're going to wait until she gets home. And we're going to let her watch."

  
Diana's POV,  _Scott's Home_

        Seeing the toll Melissa was having in taking care of Stiles, I decided to take over the cleaning and the bandaging. I could sense the Nogitsune watching me closely as I wrapped his gash in gauze. I was almost done and ready to leave if my attention hadn't been drawn to his sniffling. I look up at him and see the tears in his eyes. 

        "Stiles?" I ask confused.

        He nods at this and I hesitantly reach for the tape covering his mouth and pull it off him.

        "Really, Diana?" he asks once his mouth is free. "I shed one tear? That's all it takes? Come on. You can't crumble that easily, but then again you ran off the moment things got hard between you and Derek, didn't you?" 

        "Of course you know," I mutter in annoyance. 

        "I know pain when I see it," he responds. 

        "I'm not going to talk about this with you," I tell him ready to place the tape back on his mouth, but the Nogitsune is clever and he has tricks up his sleeve. 

        "Do you think you would be able to kill Derek?" the Nogitsune asks me. "If he turned out to be a monster like every man you've loved in your life? Would you be able to pull that trigger?" 

        I don't know where the question came from and I'm concerned of the depth he knows my insecurities lay. I decide not to respond knowing whatever answer I had, he would have a trick to pull. Yet silence seemed to be something he expected as well as the Nogitsune continued to taunt me.

        "I think you would," Stiles answers as his eyes narrowed down on me. "Killed or be killed, right? Wasn't that your personal motto once upon a time?" 

        "This isn't you, Stiles," I answer with a shake of my head.

        "It is now," he responds.

        I'm quick to place the tape back on his mouth and even though his mouth was obscured by grey duct tape, I knew he was smiling.

        "It was hunt or be hunted, by the way," I correct him knowing he had no way of retaliating now. "And I'm going to hunt you down little fox." 

        I couldn't help the small smile that rose on my lips. I wanted to show him that he hadn't bested me into submission the last time we spoke. 

        "I'm back in the game." 

        With those parting words, I leave the living room and head into the kitchen where everyone was still discussing what to do with Stiles and the Nogitsune. 

        "But the scroll said to change his body," Lydia comments.

        "That's if I translated it correctly," Deaton responds. "We're looking for a cure in something that might actually be nothing more than a proverb or a metaphor."

        "And what if he doesn't want it?" Scott points out. "He's never asked to be a werewolf."

        "What if it saves his life?" Lydia asks. 

        "What if it kills him?" I respond. 

        "I've never done this before," Scott states in concern. "I mean, what if I bite him and accidentally hit an artery or something?"

        "The venom is not going to last long," Deaton reminds them. "Something needs to be done sooner than later."

        "I can try calling Derek again," Scott sighs out.

        "You've been calling Derek?" I ask nervously. 

        "Yeah," Scott responds as he pulls out his phone ready to call again. "He hasn't been answering." 

        Hearing this makes me nervous and I can't help but think back as to what Stiles had mentioned earlier. Deaton seems to sense my change in mood, but I ignore his questioning gaze and turn to Lydia as she speaks up beside me. 

        "Maybe we should call someone else."

        Scott sends me a confused look before the answer dawns on him. Lydia is already making the phone call while Scott follows after in an attempt to convince her out of it. I watch the pair go and remain behind with Deaton. I was distracted with my own thoughts and Deaton knew me well enough to ask about it.

        "Penny for your thoughts?'

        "It's about Derek," I answer.

        "Your issues always seems to be about Derek..." Deaton points out. 

        "Yeah, I mean..." I let out a sigh. "Derek and I left it off badly today, but he locked himself in his room. I wonder why he didn't pick up his phone if Scott was calling him and then..." 

        "Then what?" 

        "You're going to be annoyed by this, but when I was bandaging the Nogitsune's wound I spoke to him briefly," I explained to Deaton who immediately begins shaking his head.

        "Whatever he told you, it's a lie," Deaton states. 

        "That's the thing," I point out. "He didn't tell me anything, he just asked." 

        "Asked?" Deaton asks confused. "Ask what?" 

        "If I could ever pull the trigger on Derek if he turned out to be a monster," I tell him.

        "Why would he ask such a thing?" Deaton responds. "You know Derek. He values himself in the wisdom his mother relayed on him: _he's a predator, not a killer._ "

        "Then why would the Nogitsune ask me such a thing," I whisper. "And  _pull the trigger?_  I'm not a trigger happy person like Argent... 

        I recall the moment with Aidan and the Nogitsune concerning his brother. There was a warning laced with malice in the dark fox's words and I now just realized he had warned me of the game he was playing with me now that I found my footing once more. 

        "I have to go," I tell Deaton. "Derek's in trouble." 

        Without waiting for a response, I make my way out Scott's house and ignore the amused smile coming from the nogitsune. I had to make it to the Argent's penthouse and hope I haven't arrived too late. 

******************

Third POV,  _Scott's House_

        After being called by Lydia, Peter made his appearance in the McCall's residence. He inspected the trapped nogitsune in Stiles' body and watched as the dark fox inspected him as well. The solution to this unsolvable ridden was complicated, but it was a solution nonetheless. The question whether turning him was the right solution had yet to be determined.  

        "He doesn't look like he would survive a slap across the face, much less the bite of a werewolf," Peter comments.

        "You don't think it would work?" Scott asks.

        "This is more a war of the mind than the body," Peter tells the young Alpha. "There are better methods to winning this battle."

        "What kind of methods?" Deaton asks in concern. 

        Peter grabs a hold of Scott's wrist and makes Scott extend his claws. The Nogitsune watches the sharp weapons in surprise and amusement.

        "We're going to get into his head." 

        Peter looks over at Lydia who nervously wrung her hands behind her back. She excuses herself from the room and Peter is quick to follow after her while the rest discussed the reliability of this solution. 

        It was a known fact that Peter did not offer his expertise without a price. Lydia knew this far too well and she knew the perfect payment to offer him. 

        "I'll do it," she answered Peter after he cornered her and clarified their deal. "I said I would. But only if you help. And only if Scott doesn't know about it."

        Lydia quickly leaves him behind knowing that both of their absences would create curiosity. Peter walks in shortly afterwards and Deaton is quick to notice. 

        "So, do we have a plan?" he asks the elder wolf. 

        "Scott is going to try and dig through pale and sickly Evil Stiles's mind to unearth pale and sickly Real Stiles. Then guide him back from the depths of his own subconscious," Peter states before pausing. "But he's not going to do it alone."

        "What do you mean?" Scott asks him. 

        Peter turns his focus to Lydia, knowing that he needed a _true_ confirmation from the banshee that promised him what he wanted most.

        "Somebody needs to go in with you." 

        Lydia shakily lets out a breath at this revelation, but knew that she had to go through this strange ritual in order to save Stiles. She nods at the new development of the plan and offers a nervous Scott a smile of confirmation. 

        "Then it's settled," Peter states quickly beckoning Scott to come behind the couch while Lydia took a seat on the couch. 

        Scott is quick to extend his claws and Peter starts to align Scott's hand at the alignment of Stiles' neck. 

        "So what do we do if we find him?" Scott asks him for clarification.  

        "You're going to have to guide him out somehow," Peter answers. "Try to give him back control of his mind, his body."

        Peter moves to Scott's other side and starts to align his other hand to Lydia's spine. 

        "Could you elaborate on the _somehow_?" Lydia asks him. "It's not feeling very specific at the moment."

        Peter thinks an answer over for a second, but has nothing to give.

        "Improvise," he tells Scott.

        "What if this is just another trick?" Scott asks.

        "When are you people going to start trusting me?" Peter complains.

        Scott rolls his eyes at this, "I meant _him_."

        "Oh," Peter whispers with a shrug.

        "Scott, we're running out of time," Deaton reminds him.

        Scott knows this as well and lets out a deep breath. He reveals his Alpha within, eyes turning a bright red, and quickly his claws impale both the Nogitsune and Lydia. 

        Their minds were no longer their own as they entered the dark realm conquered by the Nogitsune.

  
_Argent's Penthouse_

        Chris struggles with the bindings in his chair knowing it wouldn't be long before Allison returned to the dangers inside their home. Derek was amused to watch him attempt to get out of the bindings and it wasn't long before Chris attempted to use words to persuade him out of the situation. 

        "Why shouldn't I kill you?" Derek asked him in retaliation. "How many of us have you murdered?"

        "Is this what you did to Diana?" Chris responed in return. "Did you tie her up and kill her for something she had no choice in?" 

        Derek's dark smile vanishes from his face. 

        "Don't you dare say her name." 

        "Why not?" Chris asks him. "Your mate was a hunter and she came from a family more ruthless than mine." 

        "It was your family's doing that caused her undoing," Derek reasons as he nervously scratched his head to make sense of the befuddled mess of his mind. The reminder of that detail threw him off and past logic and current logic were clashing. "She had to become a hunter after the fire. She didn't want to. She didn't want to. You did that to her. You.. You're not my ally. You're a hunter."

        "You're right. I am a hunter," Chris states as his hands stopped pulling at the rope around his wrist and settled firmly on the arms of the chair. "I was trained before I could even speak and trained others. Do you know what the first lesson we teach is? We take our children, we bind them in a chair just like this. Then we wait for them to get out. Most of them, it takes hours. Others? _Seconds._ "

        Chris is quick to throw his chair back and crashes onto the floor. The chair breaks and the ropes loosen their hold. Derek is quick to shift into his claws and fangs, but Chris has already slid under his desk and retrieved the hidden gun he's hidden there. 

        Derek leaps over the desk and Chris is quick to place the gun under his chin. His finger's on the trigger, but Derek's claws are at his throat. 

        "I don't want to kill you, Derek," Chris states as they found themselves at a standstill. "Don't make me kill you. Please."

        At that moment, the door of Chris' study swings open and a breathless Diana invites herself into the fight. Chris is quick to turn off the safety of his gun and Diana's eyes widen in alarm.

        "Don't make me do this to her, Derek," Chris states sensing Diana's distressas he felt Derek's claws graze the skin of his neck. "Please, don't make me do this to her." 

  
_ Scott's House _

After many unexpected trials and tricks, Lydia and Scott found themselves inside the center of Stiles' conscious. From afar, they watch the nogitsune and Stiles playing a game of _Go_ in the stump they recognized as the Nemeton. 

        Calling out for Stiles is pointless and running towards him seems to lead them nowhere as they seem to move nowhere. 

        Catching her breath, Lydia makes a realization that is not unknown to all of them but usually forgotten. 

        "Stiles is part of your pack," Lydia states.

        "What?" Scott asks confused. "What do you mean?"

        "He's human, but he's still part of the pack, right?" Lydia asks him.

        "Yeah," Scott responds. "Yeah, of course."

        "So how do wolves signal their location to the rest of the pack?" Lydia asks with a smile. 

        Scott couldn't help but return the smile as well as the answer for the final riddle easily came to mind. 

        "They howl."

        Scott shifts once more and lets out the building howl within him. The game pieces in the game of _Go_  start to shift around and calls a distracted Stiles attention. He's quick to turn to the sound of the disruption and finds Scott and Lydia waiting for him.

        Stiles turns back to the nogitsune who's watching him closely and Stiles does not make another move on the board and instead throws the whole  _Go_ board out.

        The Nogitsune lets out a growl of its own, creating a ripple of effects that translated into the real world. 

        Lydia and Scott are snapped back into their mind and Scott is quick to recover. 

        "Did it work?" Scott asks as he rounds the couch and looks at Stiles. "Did it work?"

        Lydia moves away from the couch and covers the wounds on her neck. Stiles was still unconscious and showed no sign of life. 

        "What happened?" she asks as she turned to Peter. "Why didn't it work?"

        "Because it's not science, Lydia. It's supernatural," Peter answers. "I did my part. Now give me the name."

        Overhearing this, Scott turns to both of them, "What name? What are you talking about?"

        "Lydia, a deal is a deal," Peter states ignoring Scott's question. "Even with me."

        Scott watches them step away from the room and Lydia has no other choice but to fulfill what she promised she would. 

        She leans next to Peter's ears and whispers the name of a child that's no longer a child, " _Malia._ "

        All of a sudden, Stiles becomes conscious once more and groans. He stumbles out of the couch and rips the tape off his mouth before retching out a pile of gauze and black smoke. 

        Within the pile, a gauze-covered hand reaches out and pulls itself out of the mess. The Nogitsune reveals itself and Scott and Peter are quick to pin him down. The Nogitsune continues to reach for it's face and Scott finds the act odd. 

        "Wait, wait, wait!" Scott shouts as he releases his hold. His hand moves to the bandages and he starts to unwrap them slowly. 

        Stiles' face reveals itself under the wrapped bandages. 

        "Scott?" Stiles asks at the sight of him.

        "Scott," Deaton calls out from behind him.

        Scott turns around and finds the door of his home is open. The other replica of Stiles, the Nogitsune, was gone and so was Lydia. 

        "Where are they?" Scott asked as he looked around the room. "Where are they?"

 


	22. Insatiable

Diana's POV, _Argent's Penthouse_         

        Chris passes the hot blade into my hand causing Derek to stiffen at the sight of it. Chris is quick to tighten his hold on him and I offer him a grateful smile knowing Derek would resist in whatever Deaton had instructed me to do. 

        After I had arrived to Chris' office, Derek had snapped out of whatever haze he was in. Tripping backwards, I took notice of the black blood that started to spill from his nose. Chris is quick to tuck the gun away and restrain him. Deaton had called me soon after to instruct me in what to do to get Derek back to his normal state. 

        "Hold still," I tell Derek as I pull his shirt down to reveal his once-injured shoulder. "Don't fight it."

        Derek lets out a growl of pain as the blade pierced his skin. He starts to shift under the blade and I look down at Chris with exasperation. 

        "Hold still," I instruct once more as I set the blade aside. Black bood quickly pours out of the wound and I wipe it away with the nearby towel. I quickly stick my fingers into the wound causing Derek to scream out in pain. I could feel the flutter of the Nogitsune's fly and let out a sigh of relief. "Almost got it." 

        Derek tries to escape from the chair and Chris is quick to push him down. I thank Chris once more and with Derek fully restrained, I'm finally able to take out the fly. I drop the insect on Chris' desk and am quick to slap a book on top of it. I place Derek's shirt back in place and nod towards Chris signaling to him that he can let Derek go. 

        "Derek?" I ask quietly as my hand massaged his uninjured shoulder. 

        Derek clears his throat and nods, "I'm fine. I'm aware." 

        I let out a sigh of relief and place a kiss on the top of his head. Derek tries to rise from the chair but quickly falls back into it. 

        "You're still weak," I point out. "That thing must have drained everything out of you." 

        Derek nods at this and remains seated. Chris glances over at me and I offer him a small shrug as if I didn't know why Derek was reacting this way. Perceptive as he was, he doesn't believe me but doesn't push for an answer either. 

        "I should umm... go call Deaton and figure out what kind of miracle brought you back to me," I tell him as I release my hold on Derek. Before I could take a step, Derek's hand snatches my wrist preventing me from going any further. 

        Chris takes that as a sign for privacy and clears his throat before speaking up, "I'm going to go check in on Allison and make sure she's alright. Be right back with news." 

        Once Chris closed the door behind him did I finally allow myself to face Derek. His focus was down at his hands and I let out a sigh. 

        "The Nogitsune tried to turn me against you," I explain to him as I rounded his chair so I could face him. His eyes were focused on the ground and I couldn't help but wonder if he was really mentally here with me right now. "He wanted me to kill you." 

        "That would have killed you too," Derek responds. "Or make it feel that you were." 

        "I know," I whisper. "I remember the effects of our Mate bond." 

        A silence grows between us and I let out a sigh as his eyes continued to remain downward. 

        "Are you still upset as to what I told you?" I ask him. "About Jared?" 

        "No, no... of course not," Derek exclaims. 

        "Then why do you still refuse to look at me?" I point out. "Are you that disgusted by me?"

        "It's not you, it's me!" Derek shouts as his eyes finally locked on mine. 

        There was pain reflecting through his beautiful green eyes and I couldn't comprehend what had him twisted up this way. 

        "Sorry," he apologizes as he shifts his eyes away from me once more. "You didn't deserve that from me." 

        I let out a small smile grace my lips before I kneeled in front of him forcing his eyes on me once more. He tries to look away but I place my hand on his cheek and place my forehead against his.

        "What did you mean by that?" I ask him. 

        "It's nothing," Derek whispers closing his eyes once more. "Forget about it." 

        "Der..." I whisper once more. "Please don't shut me out like this." 

        He opens his eyes and I let out a sigh hoping  he could see how deep my pleas truly were. 

        "It hurts me..." 

        Derek lets out a sigh and closes his eyes briefly. He takes a steady breath before finally looking at me once more. 

        "I let my darkest instincts take over me," Derek tells me. "The darkest parts of me,  _the monster..._ and I thought that part of me was long gone."

        "Those parts of us, Derek, they never disappear," I respond sorrowfully. "We repress them as much as we are able to and sometimes those parts of us win... but not for long." 

        I press a kiss on his lips; short and bittersweet. 

        "I promise you that I will always bring you back from that brink if you ever reach that point again," I tell him. 

        "Diana..." Derek whispers attempting to interrupt me but I don't allow him too. 

        "Because I love you, Derek Hale. Every good and bad part of you." 

        Derek offers me a sad smile before pressing his lips on mine once more. 

        "Why?" he asks me once he pulls away.

        "Why what?" 

        "Why would you go through all of that for me?"

        "Because I'll like to assume that you would do the same for me," I answer quietly. 

        "You don't have to assume," Derek responds. "I would do it all and more for you because I love you Diana. I've always loved you and I always will." 

        I couldn't help but pull him into a tight embrace. I rest my head into the crook of his neck and let out a sigh of relief. 

        "You had me worried for a bit," I confess to him. "After... After I told you about Jared and the way you shut me out right after... I really thought you finally had enough of me." 

        "The Nogitsune made me react that way," Derek answers. 

        "I know," I respond. "But I wouldn't be surprised if you had actually meant it. What happened with Jared still makes me sick to my stomach and I... well, he made me who I am and I'll never be able to get rid off that hold he has on me." 

        "He didn't make you," Derek reminds me. "All he did was turn you and nothing else."

        "Turning me is important enough though," I tell him. "It tied down the monster inside of me. Separated me from her. Made it easy to repress. I'm thankful for that but I don't want to be thankful to someone like him." 

        "Then don't be," Derek states. 

        "Easier said than done," I answer with a shake of my head. "At least Jared is gone now... that monster is gone." 

        Derek hums in approval to this and I knew that he sympathized for what I had gone through. 

        We remained in each others arm's warming ourselves with this sense of mutual comfort. It was in this same position that Chris found us in after making his phone calls. 

        "I'm sorry to interrupt but I've got some news," Chris states. 

        I slowly pull myself out of Derek's embrace and turn to Chris awaiting for what news he had for us.

        "Is everyone okay?" I ask him.  

        "Yeah, everyone turned out fine from the Nogitsune's hold," Chris answers. "You should also know that Isaac was affected by it too."

        "Wait Isaac... Is _he_ ok?"

        "Yes, he is," Chris tells me. "All healed up and aware."

        I let out a sigh of relief and stand up from the ground.

        "I have to go see him," I tell them preparing to leave. I look down at Derek knowing that he was still to weak to stand. "I'm sorry to leave you like this but I have to go."

        Derek nods in understanding and motions for me to get going. I start to make my way out of his office and I feel Chris follow after me. I stop at the doorway and watch as Chris tried to find the words to what he had to say next.  

        "There's something else that you should know," Chris states with a hint of concern.

        "What happened now?" I ask him.

        "There's two of them," Chris states. "Two Stiles. We don't know which one is the Nogitsune and which one is the real Stiles. One of them took Lydia with them. We haven't been able to locate either." 

        "How's that even possible?" I ask him. 

        "I don't know," Chris replies. "So be careful out there. I'll update you with news." 

        "Thanks," I whisper as I offered him a stressed smile. I look back to his office and hated the thought of leaving Derek behind in such a state. "Thanks for not pulling the trigger." 

        "It was a tough call at the time," Chris sighs out. 

        "You made the right choice though," I tell him as I thought of the possible series of events had Chris chosen differently. I could feel the wolf in me, the beast, tremble with a fiery rage and it was completely justified. Chris seems to notice the change in my demeanor but I felt no remorse in the slight fear that he felt in seeing me this way. "Had you pulled the trigger on him, Chris... well, let's just say it would have made the devil himself weep for your sorry soul."

*********

Third POV, _Scott's House_

          Stiles laid down on Scott's bed watching as Melissa worked around him. She was attempting to find some kind of factor to prove that he was the actual Stiles and not the Nogitsune playing another trick on them.

        Melissa's hand trembles as she contemplates reaching out for his wrist to measure his pulse. Stiles sees her struggle and offers his wrist for her to take. The gesture was simple and Stiles' small smile assured Melissa that this was the young kid she knew and loved. She starts to take his pulse and after a minute, she lets him go. 

        "Well... Medically, you seem okay," she tells him. "You're definitely a real person."

        "Okay, so I'm real, but am I really _me_?" Stiles asks her. 

        Melissa didn't know how to respond and she doesn't get the chance to as Scott makes his way into the room. Stiles is quick to sit up on the bed at the sight of him. 

        "Is she here?"

        "Yeah," Scott answers unsurely.

        "Okay,  let's do this," Stiles responds as he slips out of the bed. Melissa and Scott share a concerned look and Stiles ignores it knowing that the risk had to be taken. "Guys, we have to do this."

        Scott let out a sigh understanding what Stiles meant. Having no other choice, he helped Stiles walk downstairs to meet with an awaiting Noshiko. 

        "Do you recognize me?" Noshiko asks as Stiles stopped in front of her. 

        Stiles doesn't get the chance to answer as Kira comes running in to stop her mother's intervention. 

        "Stop!" 

        "It's okay," Stiles assures her.  I'm the one who asked her to come." 

        "You're the one who's going to get stabbed with swords," Kira exclaims before turning to her mother. "Mom, don't do this to him." 

        "It's already done," Noshiko states as a single Oni appears behind Stiles. Before anyone could intervene, another Oni appears before him. One holds him down while the other stares deep into Stiles' eyes before marking him. Scott stops Stiles from crashing onto the ground and the Oni disappear into the shadows.

        "Look behind his ear," Noshiko tells them which Scott is quick to do. 

        "It worked," Scott tells them as he finds the kanji for self embed behind Stiles' ear. 

        "So, I'm actually me?" Stiles questions. 

        "More you than the Nogitsune," Noshiko explains.

        "Can The Oni find him?"

        "Tomorrow night," she answers. "It's too close to dawn now."

        "Can they kill him?"

        "It depends on how strong he is," Noshiko tells them.

        "What about Lydia?" Scott asks her. "Why would he take her?"

        "He would only take her for an advantage," Noshiko warns them.

        "You mean her power?" Scott specifically asks. 

        Noshiko nods at this giving them reason for concern, "The power of a Banshee."

  
_ Police Station _

        Sheriff Stilinski had no reason to return home. Not when his son was possessed by an ancient dark spirit that had not only taken his son away from him, but the source of life that remained in his home. No, Sheriff Stilinski had no intention of going home but remaining in his office for the past few days had finally been noticed by one of his new deputies.

        "Go home, Sheriff," Deputy Parrish tells him as he passes by Stilinski's office. "If anything comes up about Stiles, you know I'd call you in a second."  

        "I'm not going anywhere," Sheriff responds.  

        "Well, neither am I since my shift doesn't end until dawn," Parrish tells him knowing his boss wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. "You need a coffee?"

        "Aw, you're a good guy, Parrish," Sheriff sighs out. "That's what they all said at your previous station. Though no one could tell me exactly why you left." 

        "Maybe I needed a change," Parrish answers with a shrug. "I don't really know. I guess...I kind of felt drawn here. And I knew there were openings."

        "Do you know why there were openings?" Sheriff asks him.  

        "The statistics don't worry me," Parrish lets him know.

        "They worry me," Sheriff whispers more to himself than to Parrish. 

        "Well, then maybe you need to get some sleep," Parrish states. "Go home, Sheriff."

        Parrish leaves Stilinski on his own and he let out a sigh. Sleep was pulling at his eyes and he knew that the young deputy was right. He had to return even for a little while. 

        Sheriff Stilinski rises from his chair and pulls his jacket on. He starts to search for his keys but can't find them anywhere. 

        "Ah, If I could just find my keys," he mutters tiredly.

        " _In your coffee cup_." 

        Sheriff Stilinski stops at the sound of Stiles' voice. 

        "You always drop them in your empty cup," Stiles tells him as he entered his office. Sheriff Stilinski slowly turns around to face him and before Stiles could reach into the empty coffee cut that sat on his dad's desk, his dad embraces him tightly. "Oh... Hey, Dad." 

        "Is it over?" the Sheriff asks them as he pulls away.

        Scott walks over to the empty cup and pulls out the lost keys.

        "Not yet."

********

Diana's POV,  _Empty Apartment_

        Finding Isaac had not been the easiest task in the early dawn. The lack of communication between the two of us and the aspect that he had previously been possessed by the Nogitsune's evil fly and me running on zero sleep were really working against us. I finally decided to hack his phone and find his location which led me back to my empty apartment that had yet to be taken up by its next tenant. 

        "I uh... I don't..." Isaac mumbles as he scans around the empty living area before turning to face me. "Where's my stuff?" 

        I couldn't help the choked chuckle that escaped my lips as I ran towards him and pulled him into a tight embrace. Isaac stood as stiff as a board before slowly relaxing into my arms. 

        "The last time I saw you, you were in a hospital bed in a coma," I whisper to him as I felt my heart finally settle within my chest. "I thought I killed you." 

        "You didn't do anything," Isaac reasons. "You weren't even there when it happened." 

        "Exactly," I answer as I pull myself away from him. "I wasn't there." 

        Isaac lets out a sigh and I couldn't help but feel the mother wolf inside me rise up protectively.

        "Do you know how stupid that was?" I exclaim to him. "You almost killed yourself, Isaac. What where you even thinking?!" 

        "I wasn't," Isaac replies. 

        "God, I have half a mind to beat some sense into you," I exclaim to him as I slapped the back of his head. "Do you know how much you worried me, kid? I had a full on nervous break down in the middle of the hospital." 

        "That would have been cool to see." 

        "Isaac!" I shout undrawn by the grin on his face. I tried to remain serious due to his near-death experience and the deep impact it had on me but the smile on his face and the light in his eyes made it really damn hard. A light chuckle slips from my lips and I shake my head at him. "I'm really trying to be the tough love kind of guardian I'm supposed to be but you make it impossible." 

        "I know," Isaac whispers as he pulls me into another hug. "But I'm ok now." 

        I drop my head into his shoulder and let out a sigh, "You really shouldn't be though. You pulled so much crap lately Isaac Lahey that I am really doubting there's a brain inside that skull of yours."

        "Come on, Diana," Isaac groans out. "We were having a moment." 

        "No time for  _moments_ ," I snap at him as I slapped his chest. "I need you to understand that I really care for you, Isaac. That you're the only family I have and if I lost you... Isaac, if I lost you... I couldn't even bear the thought. I can't even imagine... This isn't a joke." 

        Isaac remains silent and his smile is gone. 

        "You've been making some very reckless decisions and I need you to start thinking of the consequences," I explain to him. "I... I need you to remember that there's someone waiting for you back home, someone that cares for your wellbeing, and I need you to remember that you've got me in your corner. Please, Isaac. I need you to remember that you have me to think about." 

        "I know," Isaac whispers. "Of course, I know."

        "Then act like it." 

        "I will," Isaac promises. "You're the only family I have too, remember?" 

        "Yeah I know, kid," I whisper as I pull him into another embrace. "I know..." 

        A moment of silence passes by before Isaac decides to speak up. 

        "But in all honesty, where is my stuff?" 

        I let out a hard sigh and shove Isaac away from me. 

        "We were having a moment!" 

        "I thought we didn't have time for moments!" 

        "I swear to God that once this is all over, your smart ass is getting GROUNDED." 

*********

Third POV _, Argent's Penthouse_

        After a few hours, Derek was healed enough to get moving. There was a lot to do now seeing as the Nogitsune had his own body to prance around in and the loss of Lydia was concerning as well. Derek really needed this all to come to an end and gain an aspect of peace. Parts of him regrets ever returning back to his hometown, but there was unfinished business here. There always seems to be unfinished business. 

        Derek repressed those thoughts away and made his way out of Argent's apartment. Chris walked after him, making sure he didn't drop dead in any of the steps he took. Once they reached the elevator did Chris stop following him but before the doors could close, Derek asked an impending question. 

        "You had a gun pointed at my head," Derek states. "You could've pulled the trigger. Why didn't you?" 

        "Because you're not my enemy anymore, Derek," Chris answers. "And I'm not yours."

        Derek nods at this respectfully knowing it was the truth. 

        "Also, your girlfriend...  _your mate,_ was there in our standoff and I couldn't do that to her," Chris answers before letting out a deep sigh. "She's also a force to be reckoned with and I know better than to make an enemy out of her." 

        "I've been at the receiving end of her wrath and I wouldn't wish it upon anyone," Derek responds with an understanding nod. He lets out a sigh of his own as he thinks back to the Nogitsune's escape. "That _thing_ tried to turn her against me and in all honesty it tried to turn me against her, it just didn't take."

        Chris doesn't know how to respond to that but Derek wasn't expecting him to.

        "The truth is we should be out there looking for him. Right now," Derek highlights. "Especially if he can do something like this."

        "I'm not sure that's actually going to be necessary," Chris responds.

        "Why not?"

        "Because if he can do something like this..." Chris starts to say allowing his point to come out on his own. 

        "He's stronger than ever," Derek states.

        "Which means he'll be coming for us."

  
_ Police Station _

        Sheriff Stilinski makes his way back into his office where Stiles and Scott sat waiting for him. They had explained to him what had occurred the night prior. Though Sheriff Stilinski was still confused by many details of their story, the problem at hand was clear as ever. 

        "We got an APB out on Lydia's car," the Sheriff tells him. "Every unit on the road is looking for her." 

        "Isn't there anything else that we could do?" Scott asks him. 

        "At this hour? No, not really," the Sheriff responds. 

        "He took her for a reason, Dad," Stiles reiterates. "If we can figure out the why, then we'll figure out the where."

        "Ok, what would a Nogitsune need with a Banshee?" Sheriff Stilinski asks. 

        "I don't know," Stiles responds. "Lydia's pretty good at finding dead bodies. Maybe he needs to find a body?"

        "Scott, you know more about this than all of us," the Sheriff points out. 

        "Me?" Scott asks unsure. 

        "You said you got the whole story from Noshiko?" the Sheriff reminds him.  

        "Yeah, but that happened during World War II. Like 70 years ago."

        "Wait," Stiles backtracks. "What did you say?"

        "Noshiko told me about the internment camp..." Scott repeats. 

        "No, before that," Stiles corrects him. "You said, the whole story."

        "Yeah," Scott responds noticing Stiles distracted stare. "What is it?"

        Stiles can't help but think back to his time spent in Eichen House and a certain inmate that caught his attention. 

        "There's a girl at Eichen House," Stiles explains to them. "Her name's Meredith. I think she might be able to help."

  
_Beacon Hills Reserve_

        Aidan and Ethan sprinted through the reserve in search of any sign of Lydia. They had come into the most desolate part of the forest when their sprint slowed down to a stop. 

        "Anything?" Ethan asks his brother.

        Aidan took a sniff of the air but found no trace of her scent.

        "No scent. No tracks. Nothing."

        Ethan lets out a sigh and takes a glance at their surroundings. The silence of the forest didn't last long as his hearing caught a distant click from afar. 

        "Did you hear that?" Ethan asks him. 

        "It sounds like..."

        "A round being chambered," Ethan concludes. 

        The twins start to run once more and just in time to spare the incoming of bullets directed their way. They are unable to deflect them all and soon fall prey to their unknown attacker. 

        Ethan's hand covers the wound on his chest and takes notice of the black coloring of his blood, "Wolfsbane."

        His focus then switches to his brother that is splayed out a few feet away from him. Ethan calls out to him, but his brother was knocked out unconscious by the wolfsbane-laced bullets. Gunshots continued to ring out around him and there was nowhere to run. 

  
_ Scott's House _

        Stiles trembled in his sleep. Dreams were filled with dark shadows that threatened to consume him entirely. Flashbacks of all he had done during his time possessed by the Nogitsune flickered through his subconscious so quickly that Stiles' body shot forward from the couch and forced him awake. 

        "Hey!" Scott calls out to him as he senses Stiles' distress. "You okay?"

        "What happened?" Stiles asks him as he jumps out of the couch and scans the empty living room. "How long was I out?"

        "Just a couple of hours," Scott answers. "You should sit down."

        "Where's my Dad?" Stiles asks instead as he fidgets nervously. 

        "He's at Eichen House, questioning everyone," Scott tells him. "Looking for Meredith. I promised him I wouldn't let you out of my sight."

        "Okay, what about the others?" 

        "Allison, Isaac, the Twins, they're all looking for Lydia," Scott makes him aware. "Diana... I don't actually know where she is, but I'm sure she's with Derek or Deaton."

        Seeing the way Stiles' hands were constantly twitching with anxiety, Scott quickly blurted out some form of assurance.

        "I can call her right now to check if it makes you feel better..."

        "No, no, you don't have to do that," Stiles tells him. "Diana can handle herself... I just feel... It's starting to feel like we're waiting for a ransom call."

        "We'll find her," Scott assures him as he watches Stiles fidget with the blanket around his shoulders. "You all right?"

        "Yeah. I don't know why, I just can't seem to get warm," Stiles answers as he pulls the blanket tightly around him.

        "Maybe you should sit down," Scott tells him as he tries to lead Stiles back but as his hand graces his he feels a sharp rush of pain run through him. "You're in pain."

        "It's not that bad," Stiles attempts to brush it off. "Just more like a dull ache."

        "Where?" Scott asks as his eyes scanned his body for any kind of injury. 

        "Sort of... _everywhere,"_ Stiles hesitates to state.

        Scott reaches out to him once more and senses how the pain was much more than Stiles made it out to be. 

        "Dude, you're freezing," Scott points out. "Tell me the truth. How much does it really hurt?"

        Stiles' eyes focus on anything but Scott unsure of how to answer his question. He's saved from doing so as Scott's phone rings from an urgent call by Kira stating that Meredith had found them instead. 

  
_Oak Creek Abandoned Japanese Encampment_

        Lydia wandered through another empty hall in search of a way of escaping the Nogitsune who had her trapped between the camp base. She could sense the death that polluted the cement walls around her and tasted the dark bitter taste of mortality in her tongue. Lydia needed to leave, but her friends had yet to come and she was trapped with a dark fox that continued to torment her. 

        " _They'll find me. My friends are going to find me."_

"You think so?" the Nogitsune asked her as followed closely after her. "I myself, was kind of wondering what they're doing right now. What useless lead they're chasing. I wonder if maybe some of them have bigger problems to deal with right now. Are they really spending every minute looking for you? Or... Are they waiting for nightfall? Focused on some hopeless gesture to pass the time."

        Lydia hated the cold rush of fear that ran through her veins at the sound of his voice. A voice that sounded a lot like Stiles, but the malice and taunts his words were heavy with were anything _but_ Stiles.

        "What do you want?" Lydia asked him as the barred door in front of her refused to open. 

        " _More."_

 _"_ More what?" Lydia asks already sensing that the answer was just as dark as him. 

        "The Trickster stories are all about food, Lydia," the Nogitsune explains as he slowly approached the cornered banshee. " _The Coyote, the Raven, the Fox._ They're all hungry. I'm the same. I just crave something a little different."

        The Nogitsune stands before her now and Lydia shuts her eyes tightly as she tried to ignore his presence. Normally, one would sense the human warmth of another person standing so close but Lydia hadn't felt that. Instead, the Nogitsune exhibited a freezing exterior and she gasped as he touched her roughly to inhale the fear that she was providing.

        "I eat what you feel," the Nogitsune tells her. "And I am  _insatiable_." 

*********

Third POV,  _Argent's Penthouse_

        The silver bar had finally melted down and was ready to be molded. Chris looked down at his daughter who had been captivated by every word of his explanation of the ceremony. She was eager to finish her hunter training and Chris had to admit that it was long overdue. 

        "Remember, you can start over," Chris mentioned as the materials were ready for Allison to use. "I was a bit of a perfectionist about it, myself. I always wanted the seal to look just right."

        Chris pulled out his remaining silver bullet and showed Allison the Argent seal that was embed on the side.

        "How many did you make?" Allison asked him.

        "Six," Chris tells her as he pockets his last bullet. "But I used them all. Only at close range, though. Despite some other legends, silver's not really as accurate as lead."

        "Dad, wait," Allison states as Chris began to leave her to work on her piece on her own. "I think I should use my own mold."

        Chris was caught off guard by the statement and peered down at her with confusion, "You have a bullet mold?"

        "No, not a bullet," Allison chuckled in response. "An arrowhead. The bow is my weapon. So, I should make a silver arrowhead."

        Chris nods at this and smiles. She was indeed right in this and Chris couldn't help but admire her independece in everything she did. Allison would make a great leader one day and he prayed to be able to witness that day.   

        "Dad..." Allison calls out to him before he leaves. "If something happens..."

        "Hey, hey... You don't need to worry about me," Chris states wanting to derail this dark conversation to never.

        "Well, yeah. I didn't get to say anything to Mom," Allison sighs as she looks down at her hands guiltily.

        "You didn't need to say anything," Chris reminds her. "And I'm going to be around a long time. I promise."

        "Well, then take it as a reminder," she responds with a small smile directed towards him. "Maybe you don't need to hear it, but I need to know that I said it. I love you. I'm proud of you. I'm proud of us." 

        Chris chuckled at this and pressed a kiss on her forehead before leaving her to work on her own. Allison watched him leave and let out a sigh. She truly wanted to believe in her father's words but their lives are unpredictable and the Nogitsune thrived in making that chaos worse. 

  
_ McCall Residence _

        With no time to spare and with a newly acquired Meredith, Scott and Stiles quickly dragged the incoherent banshee into the house expecting to finally acquire her help in locating Lydia's current whereabouts. 

        They did not expect to find the house occupied by one Rafael McCall who seemed to have been conversing, more like interrogating, a confused Isaac. 

        "What are you doing here?" Scott asked him. 

        "I could ask you the same thing," Rafael answered as he looked at Stiles, Scott, and their unknown female companion.

        "Free period," Stiles lied with an awkward ease. "We're doing group study."

        "Who's she?" Rafael asked. 

        "She's my girlfriend," Stiles replied as he quickly threw his arm over Meredith's shoulder.

        "You're not my type," Meredith spoke as she stepped away from Stiles' hold.

        "Well, obviously we have a lot to talk about," Stiles states attempting to fix the lie and simultaneously trying to escape this situation. "We should maybe take this upstairs."

        "He's my type," Meredith spoke up once more her attention towards a silent Isaac.

        "Okay. Isaac, you can come too," Stiles sighed out.

        Stiles starts to lead Meredith away with Isaac on tow. Scott had every intention to follow after them but his father steps into his path. 

        "Hey, Dad, I'll explain all of this later..."

        "I don't care that you're not in school. I know your grades are fine," Rafael interrupts him. "All I want to do is talk."

        "Now's really not a good time," Scott states.

        "Scott," Rafael calls out to him once more knowing this specific conversation was long overdue. " _We need to talk._ " 

        While Scott dealt with Rafael's weak excuse of why he left, Stiles and Isaac were attempting to make sense of the banshee sitting in front of them. 

        "Lydia?" Meredith asked as she tried to understand what they were asking of her. "You mean the red-haired girl."

        "Yes! Yes!" Stiles exclaimed happily as they found a breakthrough. "Good. Progress. Now, all you got to do is tell us where she is."

        "Okay," Meredith answered. "If she tells me."

        "If she tells you?" Isaac asked her hoping to find some clarification but only receives a nod from Meredith. "Can you ask her?"

        "I already did," Meredith answered with a small smile.

        "Perfect...Perfect..." Stiles muttered. "What did she say?" 

        "She said she doesn't want to be found." 

        "That's good too," Stiles whispered with annoyance.

        Isaac and Stiles took a minute to plan another strategy. Besides Isaac's offers of mental and physical torture, he finally came up with a useful suggestion of tuning Meredith with her banshee abilities. 

        "Okay, just try to focus on the sounds around you," Stiles tells her.

        "On what you're hearing," Isaac repeats. 

        "Just focus on the silence."

        "Listen to the silence."

        " _Focusing_ on the silence."

        "Listening to the..."

        "Okay, will you just let me handle this, Isaac. Please?" Stiles interrupts Isaac. "I just... I have more experience with Banshees." 

        "Yeah," Isaac snaps. "And mental patients."

        Stiles turns towards Isaac with the very intent of picking a fight with him but Meredith prevents that from occurring. 

        "Isn't anyone going to get that?" she asks them. 

        "Get what?"        

        "The phone," she answers simply.

        "What phone?"

        "The phone," she repeats as she points toward the cellphone in Stiles' pocket.

        "Oh, the phone," Stiles responds as he played along her delusion. "My phone? Yes. Hello. Yes, she's actually sitting right here. It's for you." 

        Meredith smiles as she takes the phone from his hands. She presses the cellphone against her ear and listens intently. She then hangs up on the call and turns to the awaiting Stiles and isaac. 

        "They say _Coup de foudre_."

        " _Coup de_ what?" Stiles asked incredulously. "What is that Spanish?" 

        "French," Scott answers recognizing the phrase from Noshiko's story. "It's French." 

  
_Beacon Hills Preserve_

        Derek had been following the faint scent trail that Lydia had left behind. He was essentially following the twin's path when he heard the sound of gunshots ring through the air. He was nowhere near the attack but it wasn't hard to tell that the twins were the main target. 

        Silence had then filled the preserve and Diana had warned Derek enough times to not ignore the warning given to him by nature itself. The silence around him only meant that the danger lurking between the shadows was great and Derek was careful to approach it. 

        Derek quickly approached the hit zone anticipating that the hunters around them would not hesitate to shoot after him. He found the twins stumbling to escape and quickly aided them in disappearing from whoever had their sights set on them. 

        Their consciousness came and went and Derek recognized the scent and sight of a wolfsbane-induced injury that surrounded both of the twins. 

        "Where are we?"

        "It's a coyote den," Derek told him as he peered out to the preserve waiting to catch something. "Stay quiet."

        "Did you see the shooter?" Aidan asked him through his pained gasps. "You know who it is?"

        "No, I was a little busy," Derek answered as he returned back to them. "Who else did you two piss off?"

        "We pissed off everyone," Ethan responded. "It was only a matter of time before someone caught up to us."

        "Well, the bullets had Wolfsbane in them," Derek points out to them. "So, if I don't get you two out of here soon, the poison is going to spread."

        Derek peers out once more and concludes that the coast is clear enough for him to leave. 

        "Stay quiet," he instructs them. "I'll be back."

*********

Diana's POV,  _Derek's Loft_

        "Isaac's stuff," I mutter under my breath as I peered through the stacks of packed boxes in search of one labeled under Isaac's name. "Isaac's stuff, where could those damned boxes be?" 

        I was left with this sole task to find Isaac's belonging seeing as we had barely found him a change of clothes earlier that day. Once he had been dressed, Isaac had left in search of Scott and had promised me he would text me updates on Lydia's search. 

        There wasn't much I could do at this point as everyone else was exhausting every possible source and tool possible to find Lydia which led me to this distracting quest of unpacking in search of the rest of Isaac's stuff. 

        Most of the boxes were unlabelled due to my rushed attempt to leave my apartment in order to move into Derek's loft. In the search for Isaac stuff, I had instead found my music stereo, most of my collection of Chinese daggers, and my duffel bag filled with emergency cash. 

        " _Move in_ , he said, _it'll be great,_ he said," I mutter as I bumped into a stack of boxes causing them to topple down. "Dammit!" 

        I let out a sigh and was ready to pick up the fallen boxes when the door crashed open. I watched Derek and Chris walk in carrying the injured twins into the loft. 

        "What the hell happened?" I ask as Derek and Chris placed both of them on the couch. Aidan had passed out while Ethan was too distracted by the pain. It wasn't hard to tell that they were poisoned by wolfsbane and that it had spread far along.

        "They were attacked," Derek answered simply. 

        "I'll go get the first aid kid and a lighter," I state ready to search through my boxes once more. Derek prevents me from doing so and I peer up at him in concern. 

        "I don't want to scare you, but I need you take a look at this," Derek states as he pulls out shotgun casings from his pocket. "I found these on the ground." 

        I didn't even have to look at the casings to know it wasn't my grandmother. 

        "It wasn't Araya," I tell him. "She already knows I'm here with you. There's no point in attacking two Betas that have no direct connection to me." 

        "Do you know who it could have been?" Derek asks.

        "I don't know," I answer. "I didn't associate with a lot of hunters back then." 

        "Let me take a look," Argent states motioning for Derek to hand the bullet shell over to him. He inspects it momentarily before recognition flashes over his face. "...That's not possible." 

        I don't receive a chance to ask him about the attack as my phone begins to vibrate against my pocket. I step away to answer it when I realize it was coming from Isaac. 

        "Isaac?"

        " _They found her,"_ Isaac updates me. " _Scott found her, Diana. They found Lydia_." 

        "Ok, I'm on my way," I tell him as I quickly grab my keys and pocket one of the few Chinese daggers I found.

        " _We're already heading out on our own,"_ Isaac tells me.

        "You have to wait for me, Isaac," I tell him. "Please..." 

        " _I can't_ ," Isaac interrupts me. " _There's no time. It's already night and Scott and Stiles are heading out so I'm going with them._ "

        "Isaac..." I start to call out to him but he hangs up abruptly. 

        I grab my jacket and quickly pull it over me. 

        "I've got to go," I tell Derek as I press a quick kiss on his cheek. "Isaac and the boys need me and I can't let them do this alone. Not again." 

        Derek nods at this and I was ready to head out on my own when Chris stopped me himself. 

        "I'll go with you," Chris states. "Allison's gone with them as well and the Nogitsune is stronger than ever."

        "That's reassuring," I whisper as I follow him out of the loft. The keys in my hand start to shake and I'm forced to take a deep breath to keep calm. 

        "You ok?" Chris asks me noticing my pause. 

        "I have a bad feeling about all of this," I tell him. 

        Instead of finding words of assurance, Chris responds with the honest truth. 

        "So do I." 

*********

Third POV,  _Oak Creek Abandoned Japanese Encampment_  

        They all gathered around the open gate of the encampment awaiting further instruction. This was the peaceful moment before the storm and all of them felt uneasy. Scott could sense their anxiety and fear due to their current situation and Scott emphasized as well.

        "We've done this before, guys," Scott tells them. "A couple of weeks ago we were standing around just like this and we saved Malia, remember? That was a total stranger. This is Lydia."

        "I'm here to save my best friend," Allison states.

        "I came to save mine," Scott responds looking over at a pale Stiles.

        "I just didn't feel like doing any homework," Isaac tells them with an uncaring shrug.

        With that response, they all start making their way past the gate. They decide to split up with Scott and Stiles entering the campsite in search of Lydia while the rest faced off the Nogitsune. Kira and Allison had their weapons in hand while Isaac walked in empty handed but not unarmed. Coming in, they're soon found by Kira's mother and her remaining Oni. 

        "Kira, turn around and go home," Noshiko tells her. "Take your friends with you."

        "I can't," Kira responds. "When I looked at the game I realized who I was actually playing. _You."_

Allison lifts up her bow and arrow and aims it at Noshiko. 

        "Call them off," Allison tells her.

        "You think you could take him alive?" Noshiko asks with a small chuckle. "You think you can save him?"

        "What if we can?" Kira responds hopefully.

        "I tried something like it 70 years ago," Noshiko reminds her. "Your friend is gone."

        "Are you sure?" Kira asks her as she takes a step towards her mother. "Or if Stiles doesn't have to die. Maybe Rhys didn't have to die either?"

        The Oni quickly become defensive with Kira's approach but nothing occurs. Noshiko smiles at her young daughter knowing she was learning quite quickly of her own true nature. 

        "I see I'm no longer the Fox now, Kira," Noshiko tells her. "You are. But the Nogitsune is still my demon to bury." 

        The Oni disappear behind her to finish their demanded task. Within the encampment, the Nogitsune has sealed himself off with Lydia by his side. 

        "They're here," Lydia comments noticing the Nogitsune's frightened behavior. "And I don't need to scream to know that they're going to kill you."

        The Nogitsune smiles at this fact.

        "Good," he tells her as he pulled the last blade, the last tail from his pocket. "Because that's exactly why I brought you. I needed to know when they'd be close enough. When my own death was closing in."

        Four Oni appear within their locked cell and Lydia is quick to get herself out of harm's way. The Nogitsune stared at the Oni in front of him and simply smiled.

        "...Cause only when they're close, can I do this..."

        The Nogitsune breaks the last blade and Noshiko instantly senses the change. 

        "Mom?" Kira asks noticing her mother falter. 

        Noshiko opens the palm of her hand and watches at the firefly dies and fades away. 

        "What is that?" Isaac asks them. "What does that mean?"

        "It means there's been a change in ownership," the Nogitsune states as he makes his way into the courtyard with the Oni marching beside him. "Now they belong to me."

        Allison is quick to change her aim towards them and Kira swings her katana around her ready for the incoming fight.

        Metal hits metal as Kira takes the lead in fighting the turned Oni. Isaac attempts to claw his way through them and Allison is quick to send arrows towards them.

        Unbeknownst to them, Scott and Stiles continue to search for Lydia and find her locked in the cell alone. 

        "Lydia?" Scott asks her as he rushed towards the locked door. "Are you all right?"

        "No, no, no, no," Lydia muttered at the sight of them. "Why are you here?"

        "Lydia, we're here for you," Stiles tells her as Scott manages to pry the door open.

        "You weren't supposed to be here," Lydia states. "You didn't get my message?"

        "Lydia, what's happening?" Scott asks her. 

        "Who else is here?" Lydia asks as her panic continues to grow. "Who came with you? Who else is here?"

        Isaac is quickly brought down by one of them but Allison prevents him from being sliced down as she uses her bow to block their katana. Isaac quickly rises to his feet and begins to fight them off once more. 

        "How do we stop them?" Isaac asks a nearby defenseless Noshiko.

        "You can't!" she shouts back.  

        Distracted, Isaac is cut down by one of their swords and drops to his knees. Inside the encampment, Lydia, Scott, and Stiles are sprinting to get out but Stiles falls midway and brings Lydia down with him. Scott continues forward too distracted to notice Stiles and Lydia had remained behind.        

        Isaac continues to suffer under their swords and Allison works fast to send all of her arrows out to hit them. Isaac is about to deal with the final killing blow but Allison uses her last remaining arrow and sends it to the standing Oni. 

        The arrow hits its chest and the Oni stands stunned. The katana in its hand hits the ground and a bright yellow light escapes from its wound. The earth shakes around them as the Oni dies and disappears from their sight. 

        Allison can't help but let out a sigh of relief but the moment of peace is short-lived as an Oni appears in front of her sending its katana through her abdomen. 

        "ALLISON!" screeches the banshee, but her call was unnecessary. Everyone could feel the deathly hit imposed on the young hunter.

        The Nogitsune watches all of this go down and finally decides he wreaked enough havoc for the night. He slips away into the remaining darkness of the evening and takes the Oni with him.

        Scott watches as the Oni slips the katana out of her and disappears into the shadows. He breaks through the gate separating him from her and barely manages to catch her body before she hit the ground.

        "Allison," Scott whispers as her eyes slowly settled on him.

        "Did you find her?" she asks through her pained gasps. "Is she okay? Is Lydia safe?"

        "She's okay," Scott tells her as his hand settled on her. "I can't... I can't take your pain."

        Allison couldn't help but smile at the kind act. Scott McCall never failed to surprise her in the darkest moments they've been through. 

        "It's because it doesn't hurt," she tells him.

        "No," Scott whispers.

        "It's okay," Allison assures him.

        "Allison," he whispers as his throat tightened restraining his voice further. 

        "It's okay," Allison whispered to him as tears escaped her eyes. "It's okay...It's okay." 

        She finds the strength to brush the tears from his cheek and sadly smiles at him.

        "It's perfect," she tells him. "I'm in the arms of my first love. The first person I ever loved. The person I'll always love...I love you, Scott McCall."

        "Allison don't, please, don't," Scott begs her. "Allison don't, please..."

        "You have to tell my dad," Allison whispers to him urgently. "You have to tell my dad. Tell him..." 

        Scott waits for her to finish her statement but no more words are said. Her eyes glazed over and her hand drops lifelessly beside her. 

        "No..." Scott whispers. "No!"

        No howls of pain rung through the air. Instead, tears flowed deeply from the Alpha and the remainder of his pack. Even the banshee could not find it in herself to wail as the pain struck too deeply in her soul. 

        Chris and Diana sprint into the scene too late confused at the silence that met them. Diana catches sight of Noshiko embracing her daughter and soon finds Isaac huddled on the ground. 

        "Isaac," she whispers as she sprinted towards him and took in the healing wounds that scattered around his body. "Hey look at me, Isaac." 

        His eyes finally find hers and they're filled with flowing tears. The question was stuck on her toungue before she sees Chris walk past her. She follows his line of sight and takes notice of the lifeless body in Scott's arms. The answer to her unasked question are pieced together and she remains silent as the scene continues to unfold in front of her. 

        Diana watches as the hunter with a steal soul easily crumbles before her eyes. His expression remained unchanged, his body rigid, but his eyes said it all. All of their eyes said it all and Diana did not know how they were all supposed to move on from this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not dead! Sorry for my lack of updates but I have a lot of works going on but I finally came back to this one. One more chapter to go before this book ends!


	23. The Divine Move

Third POV,  _Beacon Hills Police Station_

        Scott, Isaac, and Lydia sat on the adjoining couch unaware of the police life that occurred around them. Death lingered around them separating them from the life that beckoned for them to return to it. Yet, all that passed through their mind were flashbacks of Allison's death and what came afterwards. 

        " _Isaac, look at me. Look at me."_

_Isaac barely glanced into Diana's eyes who was sharply focusing on him._

_"_ _Isaac, look at me, kid," she calls out to him_. " _You have to remember; you called me first, okay?"_

_Isaac nods at this but that wasn't enough for Diana._

_"Say it," she demands from him_. " _You called me first."_

        _"I... I called you..." Isaac gasps out._

 _"Not **you,** " she corrects him_. _"Say my name, Diana, or my guardian."_

 _"I called my guardian first_... "

_"What else? What happened?"_

_"There were two of them," Isaac continues._

_"Good," she comments._

_"They tried to steal our car," Isaac stutters out_. _"They wore masks...One of them had a knife."_

        _"You think," Diana corrects him once more_. _"Don't get specific, Isaac. You saw something sharp and metallic. You **think** it was a knife. What do you say next?"_

_Isaac scans around him unsure, "I... I don't know."_

_"Isaac, this is important ok? Focus on me," Diana tells him allowing sympathy to pass through her features. "If you get confused, what do you always repeat?"_

_"It happened so fast," Isaac whispers_.

        _"That's right," Diana tells him as her eyes found Chris who was running the same speech with Scott_. _"Say it again."_

_Diana can see his attention stray away and she calls out to him once more._

_"Isaac, say it again," she tells him_. 

        _"How are you doing this?" Isaac demands from her. "Did you hate her that much that you can't even empathize with me?"_  

        _Diana knew the anger he felt was a part of his grief and she handled his attack with grace._

_"I didn't hate her," she tells him. "She just... reminded me too much of my younger self."_

_Isaac watches as her expression softens at her thoughts. Her eyes peer deeply into his as she lets out a sigh._

_"Just because I do not weep, doesn't mean I'm not mourning," she reminds him. "I've learned to mourn in silence. All hunters... we've been trained for silence."_

Isaac can barely focus on the questions being asked. His stare remains downward at the ground and unaware of the attention set on him from Deputy Parrish and Sheriff Stilinski. The answers to their questions were the ones Diana had trained him on and they flowed from his mouth with ease. 

        "Can you remember anything else?" Parrish asks him gaining no response. "Anything else, Isaac?"

        Isaac senses the hand on his shoulder which barely shakes him from his stupor. 

        "I'm sorry," he whispers shakily. "It just happened so fast."

  
_ Yukimura Residence _

          Stiles anxiously rubbed his face and let out a deep sigh. He had passed out through the Nogitsune ordeal that occurred earlier and had to be told of the loss they had suffered. This was all happening because of him. Allison had died because of him and Stiles didn't know how to fix any of this. Especially now as he felt death peering over his shoulder waiting for him to drop any second now. 

        Mrs. Yukimura was currently sitting across from him and preparing a cup of tea as Stiles resided in their home. Scott had believed it was the safest place he could be at the moment but Stiles wasn't too sure about that. 

        "Here," Noshiko tells him as she slides a cup of tea towards Stiles. "It'll calm you."

        "What is it?" Stiles asked glancing over it unsurely.

        "Tea."

        "What? Like magic tea?" Stiles questioned as he picked up the cup.

        "No, chamomile tea," Noshiko answers with a shake of her head. "Drink it."

        Stiles warily nods at this and glances over at Kira who just offers him a smile. Seeing as he wouldn't be poisoned, Stiles takes a small sip of it and cherishes the warmth it provides. 

        "He's not safe here," Mr. Yukimura states as he entered the living room.

        "He's not safe anywhere," his wife responds.

        "But Allison killed one of them," Kira reminds them. "Doesn't that mean something? She killed an Oni."

        "Is that even possible?" Mr. Yukimura asks skeptically.

        "I'm not sure how..."

        "But she did it," Kira interrupts her mother. "She killed one of them."

        "Yeah, and then they killed her," Stiles reminds them. "Allison's dead... Now I guess the only good thing is it looks like I'm dying, too."

        "He made a powerful move by splitting the two of you," Mrs. Yukimura states.

        "So what's our move?" Kira asks her as she glanced down at the Go board in front of them.

        "At this point, you need a divine move," her father tells her.

        "What's that?" Stiles asks.

        "In the game of Go, it's what we call a truly inspired, or out-of-the-box move," Noshiko explains to them. "The Nogitsune has had sente, _the advantage_ , until this point. What you need is a divine move in order to turn the game around."

        "Okay, so is anyone feeling divinely inspired?" Stiles sighs out.

        "Mom, you said you trapped it in a glass jar, right?" Kira asks recalling her story.

        "It wasn't the jar that trapped it," Noshiko explains. "It was where I buried it..."

        "The Nemeton," Stiles whispers.

        "A place I don't know too much about," Noshiko tells him.

        "Who does?" Kira asks in return.

        "Deaton," Stiles answers looking up at both of them. "Deaton does."

**********

Diana's POV,  _Argent's Penthouse_

        The door of the apartment slowly creeks open. A dark silence permeated through the rooms and neither of them could speak. I could only watch as Chris walked into his home not bothering to turn on a single light. Isaac followed closely behind him attempting to stop the sobs that escaped his throat. 

        "I appreciate the concern, but you don't have to stay," Chris states as I closed the door behind us. "I'll be all right. I've dealt with this before. I have a capacity and... An ability to compartmentalize my emotions."

        I could feel how his words faltered with emotion that he did not want to shed. Isaac looked pained at his words and it was obvious from sight alone that neither men were alright. 

        "He's not like us..." I remind Chris as my eyes flickered to Isaac. "Isaac... he can't just do that." 

        Chris remained silent and I found myself pleading for Chris to look at the pained young werewolf. 

        "I can't help him with this," I confess to him. "Only you know what he's going through... I can't help him with _this_." 

        Chris takes a deep breath as he finally lets his eyes wander over to Isaac. The young wolf had attempted to remain silent but Chris could hear him try to swallow down his tears. Isaac's pained eyes peer into his and Chris can only see the reflection of the pain that he had been attempting to avoid. 

        Chris moves to embrace Isaac who clings onto the last memory that he has for her. 

        I watch the two console each other and step out of the hallway to allow them a moment of peace. Once I entered the kitchen did I allow my own mask to wither away. My claws dug into the marble counter as I tried to calm my fast beating heart. The wolf inside me was trying to assess where this pain was coming from and I had no idea how I was meant to heal from this. 

        Once again, I had managed to come too late and Isaac had to pay the price once more. 

*********

Third POV,  _Derek's Loft_

        Derek held the lighter to the last wolfsbane wound. Ethan groaned at the pain but managed to hold still as Derek finally finished mending him. Aiden was reclining by the window sill as he tried to process the updates they had sent him. None of it was good news which further confirmed his latest decision. 

        "Should be fine in a couple of hours," Derek tells Ethan as he finished him up. "Unless whoever shot you manages to find you again."

        "Lydia's with Scott," Aiden tells his brother. "We need to go."

        It wasn't hard to tell what the twins had planned to do next. Derek hated to admit it, but his mindset was a lot like theirs when he was younger. He knew they were ready to run.

        "Are you gonna try to convince her to go with you?" Derek asks Aiden. 

        "I'm gonna try and convince her to run and hide," Aiden responds as if the answer was obvious. "Like any sane person would do."

        "And Danny?" Derek asks Ethan as he pulled his shirt back on. 

        "Allison's dead," he answers. "Stiles is dying. What do you think?"

        "I think Danny won't believe you," Derek tells him. "And Lydia would never run and hide."

        "Because of Stiles?" Aiden asks skeptically.

        " _Because of Scott,_ " Derek corrects him. "You've been trying to find a way into his pack. Trying to earn his trust, trying to fight for him. You've had it wrong the whole time. You don't fight for a leader. You fight for a _leader's cause_."

        "What cause?" Aiden asks.

        "Scott's always been about one thing: _Saving his friends,"_ Derek explains to them. "He will do anything and everything to save the people he cares about. When there's no chance of winning, he keeps fighting. When all hope is lost, he finds another way. And when he's beaten down, he stands up again. You want to earn a place in his pack? You want redemption? Find another way to stand and fight."

        Aiden and Ethan share a contemplative look, but Derek already knew what their answer would be. Yes, Derek hated to admit it, but they shared the same mindset which was why he knew exactly what to say to make them stay and change for the better.

  
_Animal Clinic_

        Scott and Lydia walked into Deaton's main office. The shop had been closed but due to Scott's insistance, Deaton found himself waiting for them and providing the guidance they were demanding of him. 

        "Stiles and Kira said it was the Nemeton that kept it trapped," Scott relayed to Deaton.

        "The problem is this isn't even a person you're fighting," Deaton reminds him. "It just looks like one. It's a spirit that's taken the shape of a human."  

        "The shape of my best friend," Scott corrects him.

        "Someone caught it once," Lydia tells them. "Someone can do it again, right?"

        "I don't know," Deaton remarks. "This thing was trapped a long time ago, before the Nemeton was cut down. It doesn't have the same power anymore."

        "Is there anything that does?" Scott asks.

        "Possibly..." Deaton sighs out. "When the tree was whole, its wood was sometimes used to contain powerful objects. But those objects are very rare."

         Lydia's eyes widen at Deaton's comment knowing there was a slight chance that a solution could be found. 

        "Wait a second, _powerful objects_?" Lydia asks for clarification. "Like an Alpha's claws?"

        "Which Alpha?" Deaton asks her.

        "Talia Hale," Lydia whispers seeing the answer cause Deaton's expression to change. "Peter had them in this wooden box with a triskele carved on the lid. What if it was made from the Nemeton?"

        "It was," Deaton responds quietly.

        "How do you know?" Scott asks him.

        Deaton let out a sigh as he recalled the lost token that was finally found, "Because I made it." 

  
_Argent's Penthouse_

        The room was dark. Empty. 

        Isaac couldn't understand how a room that once held such life could become so quiet. The memories that were etched on these walls were going to be forgotten and Isaac couldn't comprehend how that was possible. His mind would not let him move past this and the Chinese dagger in his hand was the only thing grounding him at the moment. 

        "That one takes some practice," Chris comments from the doorway. "When Allison was learning, she had to bandage her fingers because they got so raw." 

        Chris hesitantly takes a step inside her room and plucks the dagger out of his hands before Isaac could injure himself. 

        "She wouldn't give up on it, though," Chris tells him. "I think Diana inspired her too much as much as she hated to admit it." 

        Isaac barely focused on the words he was saying. His thoughts were still circulating the last memory he had of her. 

        "She kept trying to say something," he whispered faintly.

        "What's that?" Chris asks unsure of what he heard. 

        "She was trying to say something to Scott," Isaac tells him more loudly. " _You have to tell him_ , she said. _You have to tell my father_..."

        Isaac took a deep breath and tried to stop the next sob that attempted to escape his throat. Chris moves to sit next to him and Isaac pushed forward. 

        "She didn't get a chance to finish it, but I'm sure it was just that she loved you," Isaac states quickly. 

        "It's okay," Chris softly assures him seeing that Isaac was struggling to hold it all in. He returned the dagger to him to hold onto. "It's okay... She made a point of telling me earlier."

        "Earlier?" Isaac asks confused. 

        "There's a tradition we have," Chris states as he tried to clear his throat.

        "The silver bullet," Isaac recalls.

        "She was making a silver arrowhead," Chris tells him as he prepared to leave the room. The conversation was becoming to heavy for him and he couldn't let Isaac watch him break down.

        "Where is it?" Isaac asks finding his voice once more. "The arrowhead?"

        Chris looked back at him in confusion, "Downstairs."

        "I need to see it," Isaac states as he cleared his throat and stood up from the bed.

        "Why?"

        "Because I have a feeling it isn't there," Isaac tells him as he passed by him.

        Chris had no other choice but to follow after him. Diana intercepted Chris and he can't help but take notice of the makeshift bandages that were covering her hands. 

        "What's happening?" she asks Chris as she watched Isaac disappear from the hallway. 

        "Either he's having a breakdown or a breakthrough," Chris replied as they began following after him. "What happened to you?" 

        "Nothing I can't handle," Diana responds as she hid away her healing palms.

        The conversation was stalled as Isaac waited patiently for Chris to unlock the locked armory. Chris quickly does so and Isaac immediately heads toward the work table. 

        Chris and Diana follow after him and they find a wrapped cloth settled on top of the desk. Chris is the first to move and unveils the beautifully crafted silver arrowheads. 

        "Why would she make four of these?" Chris asks confused. He knew that the silver he had melted down for her had enough to make a couple more. 

        "She made five," Isaac states. "She made the first one, then she figured it out."

        "I'm sorry," Diana intrudes. "I don't think either of us understand what you mean." 

        "She used the first silver arrowhead to kill one of the Oni," Isaac explains. "We saw her do it."

        Chris and Diana share a look of realization. 

        "The same way that you almost did," Isaac tells Chris. "Do you remember when you told us about one of your first gun deals? The Yakuza?"

        "That meeting wasn't one of my first deals," Chris corrects him. "It was my _first_ deal."

        "The bullet that you used to shoot the Oni," Isaac asks him. "Was that a silver bullet?"

        "Yes," Chris answers. "But it didn't kill him... It just broke it's mask."

        "Probably went straight through," Isaac pieces together. "What if silver is like a poison to them? What if it needs to stay in the body? What if that's what she was trying to tell Scott? What if that's what she was trying to tell you, that she'd figured it out?"

        "These four would still've been setting when she went off to meet Scott," Diana tells them. "We could stop them."

        "No," Argent states with a dark glint in his eyes. "We can kill them."

  
_Beacon Hills High School_

        The jeep is pulled into an abrupt stop. Stiles stumbles out and Lydia is quick to pull his arm over her shoulder and help him walk towards the empty school. Scott and Kira followed closely behind them unsure of what was waiting for them. The plan was simple, but the Nogitsune was not. They didn't know what kind of trick they could be walking into now. 

        "Scott, hold on," Stiles calls out to him before they could take a step inside the school. "I know what you're all thinking. If this works, it might kill me, too. But even if it does, you have to go through with it. Stick with the plan, okay?"

        "The plan is to save you," Scott reminds him. "That's the plan I'm going with."        

        Without a second to waste, Scott pushes the door open and all of them make their way inside. Instead of finding a regular school hallway, they found a snowing Japanese garden. The doors close behind them and seal them away from the parking lot they had come from. 

        "Oh, this is definitely not part of the plan." 

*****

        Derek stepped out into the school courtyard knowing what trap he was walking into. The triskele box was held in one hand as he met the awaiting Nogitsune who was seated in the concrete staircase with two Oni beside him. 

        "Did you bring us a present?" he calls out to him with a playful darkness. 

        Derek sets the triskele box down on the ground and wolfs out. 

        "I brought two," Derek answers.

        On cue, Aiden and Ethan move to stand beside him causing the Nogitsune to let out a small chuckle. 

        "I've heard of an Alpha pack, Derek, but not a pack of former Alphas," the Nogitsune comments. "It's a little sad, isn't it?"

        "I might not be an Alpha anymore, but I can still fight like one."

        Derek lets out a growl which is met with the twin's own war call. Together, they sprint towards enemies line and meet the fight straight on. 

*****

        Snow continued to fall from the dark sky. Kira refused to believe it was real but the snowflakes that landed into the palm of her hand grew to melt and the reality of their current setting settled into her mind. There was no more time to further investigate as the rustling sound of dragging steps caught all of their attention.

        "Like I promised, Stiles," echoed a hoarse voice. "We're going to kill all of them... One by one."

        They all look up to find the former form of the Nogitsune standing before them. The bandaged body of Reese stood to face them all and Kira was quick to pull out her katana in defense of him. 

        Four Oni appear and immediately surround the pack. They're forced back into the center with each step the Oni took towards them.

        "What the hell is this?" Scott exclaimed at the Nogitsune. "Where are we?"

        "Between life and death," the Nogitsune answered.

        "Bardo," Lydia whispers recalling Kira's former research.

        "But there are no peaceful deities here, Lydia," the Nogitsune tells her. The dark fox shuffles towards the pack and focuses on the pale human. "You're dying, Stiles... And now everyone you care about is dying, too."

        Stiles hadn't expected this move from him, "What? What do you mean?"

        "I've captured almost all of the territories on the board, Stiles," the Nogitsune explains to him. "The hospital. The sheriff's station. And now the animal clinic."

        Stiles and Scott shared a look and knew very well that there was no way of knowing if this was true. Yet, the Nogitsune was simply playing a game and there was no point in cheating them now. 

        "Do you know the ritual of seppuku, Stiles?" the Nogitsune asked as it shuffled towards him.        

        "No, and I don't want to," Stiles answered.

        "It's when a samurai disembowels himself with his own sword to maintain his honor," the Nogitsune explains to him. "But that's not the cut that kills him. The killing stroke is made by his _kaishakunin_ , who beheads the samurai with his own katana."

        The Nogitsune then turns to Scott, "Scott... Scott is your kaishakunin."

        Stiles and Scott share a concerned look. 

        "I'm going to make your best friend kill you, Stiles," the Nogitsune tells him. "And you're going to let him. Because just like you, they're all going to die. Everyone touched by an Oni's blade... Unless Scott kills you first."

        "Why?" Stiles whispers feeling his strength diminishing by the second. "Why are you doing this?"

        "To win the game."

        With those words, the Oni pull out their katanas and swing them dangerously. Scott wolfs out quickly and Kira swings out her own katana to use. 

        The fight begins before they know it. Lydia pulls Stiles out of the way while Kira and Scott take care of the murderous Oni surrounding them. 

        "How is this happening?" Scott asks between his escaping breaths. "How are we in this place?"

        "You're asking me?" Kira asks incredulously as she tried to remain focused. "A month ago, I'd never even touched a sword."

        Claws and katanas hit against each other as Scott and Kira attempted to remain alive. Lydia and Stiles could only watch from the sidelines as their friends continued to be further surrounded by their enemies. 

        "This can't be real," Lydia whispers to Stiles.

        "Yeah," Stiles responds in disbelief. "Tell that to them."

*****

        Derek, Aiden, and Ethan were still fighting with the remaining Oni that the Nogitsune had with him. Tiredness was slowly creeping into their bodies and all of them shared the same concern about their decreasing deadline. 

        "Where the hell are they?" Ethan exclaimed. 

        "The jeep's here," Aiden answered. "They have to be somewhere."

        "In the school!" Derek shouted at them.

        The Oni continued to rise up from their attacks and each time they appeared Derek and the twins were further pulled away from the triskele box. 

        "You have to get on the box!" Derek shouts as he tried to prevent the Oni from slicing down on him. "Someone get on the box!"

        Aiden lets out a growl and takes notice of his proximity to the box. Being the nearest, he was ready to make his way towards it until two more Oni appeared around it. 

        "I hate ninjas," he growls out before engaging with them once more. 

*****

        Kira's katana meets heavily with one of theirs. It was a battle of strength and though Kira was stronger than most, it wasn't enough to defeat the Oni. Her sword is swung out of her hand and immediately she's disarmed. Two Oni aim their katana's toward her and quickly corner her. 

        Stiles stumbles towards the abandoned sword and raises it above his head with the intention of swinging it down to himself. 

        "Stiles, no!" Scott shouts as he takes notice of his friend's intention.

        With Stiles' act of defeat, the Oni stop their attack. 

        "What if it saves you?" Stiles asks him. "What if it saves all of you?"

        "What if it's just another trick?" Lydia exclaims behind him. 

        "No more tricks, Lydia," the Nogitsune answers with a cruel smile. "End it, Scott. Let your friend fall on his own sword."

        Scott takes a trembling step forward but it doesn't dissuade Stiles from dropping the katana. 

        "Do for him what he cannot do for himself," the Nogitsune exclaims. "Do it, Scott. Be his _kaishakunin_."

        Stiles refuses to look up. He refuses to watch the look on Scott's face. All of this pain and suffering that he caused would end and Stiles was ready to sacrifice himself for the people he love.

        "Give up the game. You have no moves left."

        The katana was held tightly within his hands and Stiles took a deep breath. He stared down the reflection of the polished steel and stops.

         _Essentials of Economics_

        A textbook stood amongst the snow that was falling around them. Stiles takes a glance to his side and takes notice of other objects that stood out.

         _A desk, a chalkboard, a chair..._

The illusion breaks away for him and Stiles sets the katana down.

        "I do have a move," Stiles tells the Nogitsune as he tosses the katana to Kira. "A divine move."

*****

        Aiden shoved the Oni away from the box and tried to use this rare second of peace to press onto the bleeding wound from his side. He watched as his brother was pushed down by one of the Oni and the way Derek barely evaded the Oni's blade. 

        "We can't do this," he shouts to them. "We can't beat them."

        "Take the box," Ethan responds to him as he held onto the wound on his upper arm. "We'll hold them off!"

        The Oni appears in front of Ethan, but before it could swing its sword down Derek comes to the rescue and flips the Oni down the stairs. 

        Derek lets out a growl as the Oni rises up once more swinging the katana for its next attack. Before any could lunge for an attack, a small thwing is heard an the Oni's chest is hit with an arrow. Immediately, the wound begins to glow and the Oni pulls out the arrow leading for its entirety to disappear and never come. 

        Derek looks behind him and finds Diana holding a bow in her hand. It wasn't like her to make such a dramatic entrance into a fight and he couldn't help but think he had that effect on her. 

        "What was that?" Aiden asks in shock. 

        "Silver," Chris Argent answers as he appeared beside Diana with a crossbow of his own. Isaac made a grand entrance of his own as he flipped down from the staircase and landed in a crouch. 

        "Isaac, the box," Derek shouts at him knowing the Oni would not after this change. "Get the triskele box to Scott!"

        Isaac quickly sprints towards the triskele box and picks it up. Without waiting for anyone, he makes his way towards the school entrance. 

        The Nogitsune in the form of Stiles had been watching the fight from afar. He had not expected to lose an Oni and knew that this changed the game drastically. He made a silent exit knowing his upcoming moves were vital. 

*****

        Lydia quickly comes to Stiles' aid and helps him remain standing. Stiles took another glance at his surroundings which further confirmed the reality of their situation. 

        "Stop fighting them," Stiles tells them. "It's an illusion. You have to stop fighting them. It looks real and it feels real, but Scott, you gotta trust me, it's an illusion."

        Scott slowly turns around and looks upon the Nogitsune who had remained silent at Stiles' revelation. A low growl was escaping his mouth and the Oni were quick to block the exit. Scott realized that Stiles was right and there was no other choice but to move forward.

        Scott took a step into the path made by the Oni. Katanas were swung down at his chest and though the pain felt real, Scott pushed forward. Kira's back burns with the deep cuts but she continues to walk. Lydia carries Stiles through the path, the Oni swing down their swords, and they stumble but continue forward. 

        Together, in pain, they move forward. 

        Scott meets the Nogitsune first and with a growl, he pushes it through the doors to find themselves back into the school hallway with the Nogitsune gone. 

        "We're okay," Scott whispers as he took notice of the non-existent wounds they had suffered. "We're..."

        Scott is thrown against the lockers and before Kira could react, the Nogitsune hits her over the head and kicks her out of the way. 

        "This was _my_ game," the Nogitsune grits out as it turned towards a still standing Stiles and Lydia. "You think you can beat me at my game?"

*****

        Derek ducked under the Oni's swing and pulled its arm behind its back. Immobilized, Derek held the Oni towards Diana who sent a silver arrow into its chest. 

        "Nice aim, cupid," Derek comments as the Oni disappears in a mist of shadows. 

        Diana couldn't help but chuckle at the joke as she swung the bow onto her back. She had used the last arrow on her and motioned for Derek to help her down from the ledge she had been perched on. 

        The sound of another arrow being sent echoes through the air. The remaining Oni is expecting it though and it's katana breaks the arrow in half before it could hit it. 

        "Get the arrow," Chris shouts to them. "It's the last one."

        Aiden slides under the Oni's katana and picks up the silver arrowhead. He quickly turns around and stabs the arrow into the Oni's chest. The Oni disappears into a flash of shadows and Aiden drops the arrow onto the ground. He stands still as he looks down and takes notice of the impaled katana that went through his own chest. 

        "Aiden!" Ethan shouts as he watches his brother pull out the sword and let it fall to the ground.

*******

        "Divine move," the Nogitsune grits out as he approaches Lydia and Stiles down the hallway. "Divine move. You think you have any moves at all?"

        Lydia and Stiles stumble down the hall attempting to escape the Nogitsune's wrath. 

        "You can kill the Oni. But me? _Me_?" the Nogitsune exclaims. "I'm a thousand years old. You can't kill me!"

        "But we can change you," Lydia counters as she pulls them into a stop.

        "What?" the Nogitsune asks. 

        "You forgot about the scroll," Stiles reminds it. 

        "The Shugendo scroll," Lydia defines.

        " _Change the host,_ " the Nogitsune grits out in disgust. 

        "You can't be a fox and a wolf," Stiles tells it.

        Before the Nogitsune could escape, Scott latches his claws into his shoulder and bites down onto his arm. The Nogitsune screams at the act and Scott lets him go. Kira immediately swings the katana into its chest and pulls it out. 

        Thunder crackles within the hallway as the Nogitsune stumbles forward before falling onto its knees. It gasps, choking on the air, before a single fly flies out. It buzzes through the hall as it flies towards an exit, but it doesn't get too far as Isaac traps it into the triskele box.

        The Nogitsune's body, the one mirroring Stiles' face, convulses in front of them before the mask itself begins to crack like aging porcelain. The body hits the ground and disappears into a cloud of dark smoke. 

        Scott looks up at Stiles who sways on his feet. No one manages to catch his body as he falls onto the ground. 

        They all run to surround him hoping that with the death of the Nogitsune, they hadn't killed their friend too. It only took a few seconds for Stiles to open his eyes. He found Scott, Lydia, Kira, and Isaac around him and he let out a groan. 

        "Oh, God, I fainted, didn't I?" he asks them causing them to let out a relieved chuckle seeing that Stiles and his humor was indeed intact. "We're alive... We all alive?"

        Scott nods at him, "Yeah... We're okay."

        With everything that had been going on, Lydia had sensed death lingering around her. Nothing was concrete or perhaps she had been ignoring the whispers ever since death had brushed up against her and killed a part of her soul by taking Allison away from them. 

        She didn't want to listen and yet she followed the whispers outside the school doors. 

        Diana and Derek held Aiden up as Chris helped Ethan towards his brother. Ethan kneeled beside him and tried to ignore the blood that Aiden was coughing out through his mouth. 

        "Does it hurt you as much as it hurts me?" Aidan asks him as he tried to stop shivering.

        "Yeah," Ethan whispers as he attempted to restrain his tears.

        Aiden whimpers at this, "It's okay... It's okay...Lydia never believed I was one of the good guys anyway."

        Derek looked over at Diana with a pained expression, "She'll believe me."

        Aiden chuckles at this and Ethan is quick to hush him. 

        "Shh..." Ethan whispers as he held onto his brother in his last moments. "Shh..."

        Aiden's body stills and Diana helps Ethan in setting his body down. Ethan remains over him hoping to hear his heart beat once more, but life had already left and death had taken over. 

        Lydia sprints towards the courtyard refusing to believe what she knew all along. She stops at the top of the staircase and sees Ethan crying over Aiden's body. She lets out a gasp, ready to sprint away, but Stiles catches her and she digs her head into his chest and sobs. 

        Another life lost. Another cross to bear. 

************

Diana's POV,  _Derek's Loft_

        My hands shook and I knew if I hadn't been focusing on Derek's steady heartbeat that I would have wolfed out the moment that Isaac had stepped into the room. It wasn't hard to pinpoint the topic of this conversation. The passport in his hand and the filled moving truck parked outside was evidence enough of what Isaac was planning to do. 

        "You know you're grounded," I exclaim as I look up at him. "I could make you stay... I could  _legally_ make you stay... I..."

        "You _could_ do all that stuff, but you won't," Isaac replies with a small crooked smile. "You won't." 

        I shake my head at this and abruptly stand up from my seat. Derek immediately places a hand on my shoulder and I glance over at him. His eyes grounded me once more and I let out a sigh. 

        "I don't know why you have to do this," I whisper. "I don't know why you have to leave." 

        "You know why," Isaac sighs out. "You've done this before. Many times before..." 

        "That was different," I argue. "I wasn't just a kid... I didn't have someone back then. Isaac, please reconsider..."

        "My mind's made up," Isaac interrupts me. "Nothing you can say can change my mind." 

        I bit my lip and tried to retain the tears that were threatening to fall. 

        "But we're family," I whisper. "It's you and I, Isaac. It's  _us_." 

        Isaac walks up to me and places his hands on my shoulder. He shakes me lightly and offers me a small smile. 

        "It was you and I," Isaac repeats. "But it hasn't been like that for awhile now." 

        "What do you mean?"

        Isaac peers over my shoulder and takes a glance at a silent Derek. 

        "You've got him now," Isaac tells me. "It's you and Derek. You don't need me around anymore." 

        "Isaac..." Derek calls out but I raise my hand for him to stop. 

        I look up at Isaac and let out a sigh. 

        "You're still my family, Isaac," I respond. "There's still an us." 

        Isaac presses a kiss on my forehead and pulls me into a hug. 

        "I know," Isaac whispers. "There always be an us." 

        I lay my head against his chest and listen to the rhythm of his heartbeat. 

        "You promise to call?" I ask him. 

        "Yes."

        "To write?"

        "Yes." 

        "To visit?"

        He hesitates on this one but finally answers with a slow nod, "Yes." 

        I pull away from his arms and wipe away the tears that managed to escape. 

        "If you wind up dead, I'm finding a way to bring you back from the dead and killing you myself," I warn him. "And then... you're grounded." 

        Isaac lets out a laugh at this and I can't help but smile and pull him into another embrace. 

        "Take care of yourself," I tell him. "Heal, get better, and then come back to me." 

        Isaac takes a deep breath and nods at this. Chris finally appears at the doorway and Isaac slowly pulls himself away from me.   
        A wave of loss washes over me as he steps away from my hold. Isaac waves goodbye to Derek before offering me a parting smile. He picks up the duffle bag from the ground and takes the triskele box out of Chris' hand. 

        "I love you, Diana," Isaac states as he glanced over me one final time. 

        "I love you too," I whisper.

        Isaac smiles at this and walks out of the loft with Chris by his side. Derek steps next to me and puts his arm around me as I watch Isaac disappear from my sight. 

        I close my eyes and focus on Isaac's heartbeat as long as I can before he's too far away from the loft. My balance falters and Derek is quick to keep me up while I was unable too. 

        "You ok?" he asks me. 

        "No," I honestly answer as I look at him. "But with time, I will be."  

************

Third POV,  _Closing_

        Diana couldn't help but chuckle as Scott and Stiles appeared at the loft looking for her expertise. Diana hadn't met the young girl in front of her but she was aware of her history. Malia Tate, the coyote girl who stayed in her primal form for many years until Scott pulled her out of it. 

        "You got me a stray?" Diana couldn't help but ask Stiles. 

        The timing of it all was slightly comical. She had just said goodbye to Isaac a few days ago only for Stiles to bring another young pup into her line of sight. 

        "She's technically not a stray..." Stiles nervously stuttered out. "I mean, technically as a coyote she was, or she would be considered to be...but... I mean she has a dad.  _Adopted_ dad... Am I rambling? I feel like I'm rambling." 

        Diana eyed Stiles for a moment before turning her focus on Malia. 

        "What do you want to know?" Diana asks her directly. 

        "I want to learn how to turn back into a coyote," Malia answers. 

        The answer took Diana by surprise and she glanced over at Scott in concern. 

        "I can try to teach you that, but you'll first need to learn control," Diana explains. "There's no point in being able to shift into your primal form if you can't control what's going on from that point forward." 

        "What do you mean?" Malia asks her. 

        "There's two parts of you: the human and the coyote," Diana tells her. "But you have only lived as a coyote. All you know is the life and experience of a coyote. Shifting back to that form will be hard because of the gained experience you have as a human. Your identities are essentially blending together and in order to maintain control of either part of yourself you need to learn how to separate the two and maintain control on the third."

        "Third?" 

        "You're in-between state," Diana clarifies. "The state between humanity and coyote."

        Malia glances over at Stiles in confusion and Scott immediately steps in. 

        "Let's just start with teaching you control, ok?" Scott tells her. "Diana can teach you the rest later." 

        "Ok, that sounds easy," Malia agrees. 

        Diana couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her throat as she took off her jacket and set it aside. 

        "Try to do as I do," she tells her. 

        Diana flicks down her wrist and her claws appear. Malia warily eyes the result and Scott decides to show her how it's done again. 

        Malia nods in understanding this time and flicks down her wrist but nothing occurs. She tries once more and fails.

        "Don't think about it too much," Scott advises her. "Just try to let it happen."

        "There's a part of you, in your mind or in your soul, that belongs to the coyote," Diana instructs her. "Tap into that part of you and it will flow easily from there." 

        Malia nods at the instruction and takes a deep breath. She flicks her wrist down once more and her claws appear.

        "Ah, wow!" she exclaims happily swinging her clawed hand towards Stiles.

        Stiles barely manages to step back from being impaled and Malia flinches at that.

        "Oh, I am so sorry," she apologizes with a short laugh. She brings her claws up at her face and smile. "That's... Yeah!"

        Diana glanced down at a smiling Scott and Stiles before being taken by surprise by a short hug from Malia. And for a short moment, Diana forgot about Isaac's departure as she looked over the two young boys that have been with her from the very start. For a short moment, she allowed herself to be happy. 

******

_Animal Clinic_

        Scott was organizing the gauzes and setting them aside. The clinic was finally back in order after the Oni's attack and things were slowly returning to the way they were. 

        "Hey," Deaton calls out to him. "What're you doing?"

        "Just, uh, clearing my head," Scott responds as he set the supplies aside.

        "Have you ever heard the term _regression to the mean_?" Deaton asks him. 

        "No."

        "It's a bit of a technical way of saying things will always even out," Deaton explains.

        "Like things will always get better?" Scott asks. 

        "More like things can't always be bad," Deaton clarifies.

        "So, no matter how bad things get..." 

        "...Or how good," Deaton adds in.

        "They always come back to the middle," Scott concludes with a small smile.

        "Regression to the mean," Deaton repeats once more.

        "I'm not so sure that applies to a town like this," Scott comments with a chuckle.

        "Yes," Deaton sighs out. "You might be right."

******

        Diana sat on top of the bare table and watched as Derek set the empty discarded boxes into the corner of the room. He let out a relieved sigh at being done and Diana can't help but smile as he returned back to her. Derek pulled the chair her feet were reclining on and let her feet dangle in the air. She let him step into the space between her legs and welcomed his hands on her waist. 

        "I can't believe we're finally done," Diana tells him as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Those boxes have been there for weeks now!" 

        Derek chuckled at this. 

        "One more week and I would have needed to start wearing your clothes to work," she whispers. 

        "I don't see how that's a bad thing," he remarks. 

        Diana laughs at this and shakes her head at him, "You'll like that wouldn't you?" 

        "Very much," Derek answers as he pressed a kiss on the side of my jaw. "Everyone would know you're mine." 

        "Ooh possessive," Diana comments with a chuckle. "That's hot." 

        Derek snickers into the crook of her neck and turns to look at her. 

        "You know what comes next now, right?" Derek asks her out of the blue. 

        "If this is a lead up to sexy times, I'm going to be honest and tell you that I am emotionally and physically tired from all this unpacking," Diana sighs out to him. 

        "No that's not what I meant..." Derek chuckles out with a shake of his head. "But we should come back to that in case you change your mind." 

        Diana rolls her eyes at him and nods for him to continue, "What did you mean to say?" 

        "Well now that you have officially moved in and we're officially living together, the next step for us is getting married," Derek states. 

        "Marriage, huh?" Diana repeats as she thought over the notion once more. "You still want to make an honest woman out of me, Hale?" 

        "You're already an honest woman," Derek points out. "And besides, when have I ever been able to make you do anything." 

        "True," she remarks. "So you still want to marry me? You want the whole house with the white picket fence and kids on the swings and the whole shebang?" 

        "Of course I do," he tells her. "Did you change your mind?" 

        "No, of course not," Diana answers honestly. "It's just with everything that's happened... it put things in perspective." 

        She presses a kiss on his cheek and smiles up at him. 

        "I'm excited for that chapter of our lives to begin, but I'm not ready," Diana confesses to him. "Not with everything we lost recently." 

        "I know and I agree," Derek responds with a sad smile. 

        "Glad we're on the same page," Diana tells him as she played with the stray buttons on his shirt. "Now about you not able to make me do anything... care to try to change my mind about some leisure bedroom activities?"

        Derek didn't have to be asked twice as he pulled Diana off the table and carried her up the spiral stairs. Diana couldn't help but giggle at Derek's enthusiasm and allowed herself to live in the peaceful moment they rarely had with each other. 

******

        Derek leaned against the metal table facing the large window that depicted the sunset over Beacon Hills. Diana leaned against the windowsill with a robe wrapped around him. She looked worried, but remained silent as she waited for a nervous Derek to speak up. 

        "It was a dream," Derek states. "It was actually... It was more like a nightmare."

        "Okay," Diana responds. "What happened?"

        "It started with these hunters that caught Peter and me after we left Cora," Derek explains. "Your family, specifically a guy named Severo. They broke into our loft."

         _Derek was ambushed. Too many men broke into his loft waving around lethal shotguns that were essentially aimed at him. Severo throws him against the table and allows him a second to recover._

         _"Now, my friend, you're gonna tell us about la loba," Severo demands from him. "Where is the she-wolf?"_

        _"You should just go ahead and kill me," Derek spits out at him._   _"Cause you're never going to find Diana or Cora_."

        _"Cora?" Severo asks puzzled. "Who the hell is Cora?"_

         _Derek and Severo share a look of confusion before a smoke bomb is thrown inside the loft and creates further chaos. Severo and his men quickly raise their guns while  Derek attempted to escape the wall of smoke and gain some insight on their new attacker._

        _A growl echoes through the loft and it didn't come from him. Derek half expected the smoke bomb came from Diana but she would have found him by now._

_"_ _Where are they?" a hunter asks._

_Before anyone could respond, Derek hears another growl before hearing one of their bodies drop._

_"Light them up!"_

_Guns are fired with no target in sight. The smoke continued to wrap around them and their bullets hit nothing but air. More bodies drop and Derek barely watches Severo crawl away. He slowly rises up from his crouch only to find a shotgun being cocked directly at him before the shot's taken._

Diana had listened to Derek's story and had slowly approached him. She now stood in front of him but his focus remained downward as he tried to make sense of things. 

        "Who was it?" Diana asks him. "Who shot you?"

        "There's a lot of myths about how people can be turned into a werewolf," Derek explains to her. "Usually a bite. There's one about rain water..."

        "Yeah, drinking rainwater out of the puddle of a werewolf's print," Diana expands on.

        Derek nods at this but his gaze remained on his hands that were shaking. 

        "There's another one," Derek states. "If the claws go deep enough... a deep enough cut..."

        Derek recalls Kate's throat being slashed and his fear intensifies.

        "Derek, if this is all just a dream, why do you look so worried?" Diana asks him.

        Derek desperately wants to keep his gaze down, but Diana was standing so close to him. He looked up at her waiting eyes and lets out a sigh. 

        "Because I don't remember waking up," Derek confesses to her. "Tell me... How do you know? How do you know if you're still dreaming?"

        Diana smiled down at him as she took his shaking hands into hers. 

        "Focus on me," she tells him. "Where am I in that dream of yours?"

        Derek tenses up at the question and can't help but wonder the exact same thing.

        _Diana places a kiss on his chest before rolling away from him. She pulls out his shirt from the floor and pulls it over her head. Derek lazily watches as she tugs her leggings back onto her legs before picking her hair up in a loose bun._

_"Where are you headed?" Derek finally asks as she slips on her shoes._

_"I'm getting us some take-out seeing as **you** haven't gone grocery shopping lately," she tells him with a smile. "How does Chinese sound?" _

_"Sounds good," Derek answers as he sits up. "If you wait a minute, I can get ready and go with you."_

_"No need," she tells him. "You just sit there and look pretty for when I come back."_

_Derek chuckles at this and lets her be. She leans over the bed and presses a quick kiss on his lips before picking up her jacket and swinging it on._

_"Be back in a minute!"_

        Derek tenses up at the memory and looks at the Diana in front of him who fades away as if she never there. Derek feels an ache in his chest and looks down to see blood staining his hands.

        "It's real," Derek whispers.

        Derek opens his eyes and finds himself kneeled in the middle of his loft. Pain radiated through his body and it was a miracle he was still conscious from the shotgun wound in the middle of his chest. He slowly looked up from his chest and stared at the woman in front of him.

        "You're real..."

        "That's right, Derek," Kate Argent states as she set her shotgun aside. "And if seeing me is a surprise, watch this."

        Kate lets out a menacing growl and her face shifts into nothing Derek has seen before. 

        He was losing blood too fast and his healing was taking too long. It didn't surprise him to see his vision fade away and he welcomed the soothing lull of sleep that called to him. He was welcomed by a beam of light and Diana's face is the first one he sees.


End file.
